Today was rough. Not gonna lie. I wish I could say it was better after such a crap day yesterday but, it’s still kicking my butt. These rocks are eating my feet alive! It’s even slower going since I’m balancing and helping push on inclines (lots of those today) with only one trekking pole. I have to carry the broken one so I can still prop up my tent. It’s just being pitched lower than usual. Hopefully there’s no more heavy rain coming. Other than a ton of rocky climbs today, I would also call it “deer day.” I lost track how many deer I saw today. Got some good ones on camera including a young buck who’s just starting to sprout horns. With the climbs, I was rewarded with nice views from Pulpit Rock and The Pinnacle. I was talked into pushing an extra 2.2 miles today to Eckville Shelter, which is basically a barn turned into a bunkhouse and a shed turned into a privy and shower all next to the caretakers house. I went across the street where there’s a large grassy field. We have about eight tents set out. Definitely a social place. I’ve bumped into so many people I haven’t seen in a while, including the kid in sandals with the 65+ lb pack. The bugs today were also bad enough to make a man go crazy! Insect spray won’t help. Gnats and flies don’t care. It’s the first day I wore my bug net but I didn’t wear it for long. It got too muggy with it over my face!

I’m hoping to still do a big mile day tomorrow ( PA rocks, please be gentle on my torn up feet!), which will set me up for a short morning hike to where my neighbor/friend’s daughter is picking me up. It will be nice to see a familiar face and hopefully help to pull me out of this funk. She is the one who picked the pebble on Springer Mtn and in carrying in my wallet. It will be dropped off on Katahdin. I jokingly told her she doesn’t really want to see me. She just wants to visit her pebble. Let’s hope for a decent day tomorrow. I need a break. I think I have a decent climb first thing in the morning and back to a ridge walk.