Back to Trailhead Campground

I slept okay last night, but am really sore today from yesterday's fall. No critical injuries that would prevent me from moving on, but I'm a bit bruised and battered.

The temperature rose to 95 degrees today, so I decided to stay in Andover and keep Forest cool through the heat of the day. At 3 p.m. we are shuttling back to the trailhead and will set up camp near there so we can get an early start in the morning.

I didn't have a chance before now to upload photos and videos from the past few days. Here are some shots from the alpine zone of Saddleback Mountain. We were surrounded by rainclouds, but temperatures had been rising and the sun had come out on Saddleback. After the peak, we had another mile to go before I could get Forest out of the sun.

We met a family down in the notch between The Horn and Saddleback Mountain. The parents had been trying to bribe their kids to climb with them by giving them Snickers bars. A couple of the kids came up with them, but not many, so the family donated their remaining Snickers bars to me. I ran out of coffee before that day, so the sugar was welcome. Thank you!

We crossed a few streams over the past week, so I don't remember which one this was, but it involved a lot of rock walking and boulder hopping. Forest did great as always. Some day-hikers were on the far bank watching him; they were just amazed that he knew the meaning of "left," "right," and "wait," but wanted to know why I kept him leashed instead of just letting him go. I explained that he was a service dog, so I kept him leashed and he never willingly went far from my side.

I mentioned that I've had a few gear failures. The one that was critical was my tarp. It was beginning to fail/tear at the tie-off points on the ridgeline. My wife called Hammock Gear and emailed them a copy of the receipt and pictures of the tears. Thanks to her efforts, Hammock Gear is express mailing a loaner tarp to my next resupply stop. Once I have that, I'll mail the faulty tarp back to them for repairs. I have no doubt that it's a manufacturing flaw, so hopefully any cost to me will be minimal. It's a real pleasure working with the cottage industry that makes hiking gear. These small companies are owned by hikers and responsible for a large amount of the innovation in the industry. Many of their products are far superior to what's available in the stores, and weigh much less than standard gear, but they are also quite expensive. Because you can't buy them in stores, it takes quite a bit of lead time to order everything and have it ready for a hike of this magnitude.

I have now hiked a total of 950.2 miles of the Trail. I'll hit my 1,000-mile marker in just under 50 miles. After the White Mountains in New Hampshire, the next 1,000 miles will be easier and faster. Home is calling.

Until then, the Trail feels like this.