We left Woodchuck Hostel at about 10 this morning, and headed up the Trail about 3 miles to wait out the heat of the day. While there, I tested our new hammock setup, which you can see in the following photos. Forest will sleep in the gray and orange hammock, safe and secure beneath me in the camouflage hammock.
I also did a lot of preplanning today and set up my next resupply stops with my wife. Now that I have the hammock setup, I should be able to pick up my packages and camp wherever I find two suitable trees. I'll no longer be dependent on finding level ground, so my hope is to cover about 10 miles a day, six days a week.
After dinner, I found a new treat that I really like. I mixed Folgers instant coffee with hot chocolate mix. When it's cold, it tastes like Starbucks. 😋
I forgot to repair my glasses this weekend, so I'm working on that now. After that's finished, Forest and I will set out on our first night hike. I have a light that will hang on Forest's pack and a headlamp for myself, which should allow us to navigate the trail safely. We are aiming for Lost Mountain Shelter (mile marker 486.1) by morning, which will give us about a 14-mile day.
Today, my wife and son and Forest's trainer went to visit the private school in Charlotte that has been cheering me on the Trail. They had a great time meeting the staff (thanks especially to Ms. Cohn!) and students to talk about how Forest was trained and what he does for me, the role of a service dog, and why it is so important not to interrupt a service dog while he or she is working. Service Dog in Training Rubble especially liked meeting all of the cool kids and showing off what he has learned over the past 7 months. You all ROCK!
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