Day 98, Saturday June 5, 2021

      

Isaiah 

Swatara Gap stealth site to Round Head campsite - 14.4 miles hiked today - 1198.4 total AT miles hiked to date.

Whew!  Today was a tough day.  Rocks, rocks, and more rocks, steady climbs throughout the day, and the highest level of heat and humidity I’ve encountered thus far.  You’d think as a Florida boy, I’d be used to this weather, but I guess the three months of mountain climate has made me susceptible to the heat.  I went through more water today than any other day to date.

That said, the day started out moderately enough, with a couple of road and river crossings, before the day’s challenges started.  I hiked most of the morning with Grey Goat, who was meeting his wife Chaser at lunch time.  After about an hour of hiking, we started the 2 mile climb back up to the ridge line.  The climb was tough, and strewn with multiple rocks, and assorted rock scrambles. Compounding the difficulty was the high heat and humidity of the day, the highest I’d encountered yet.  You’d think as a Florida boy, I’d be used to the heavy climate.  I guess three months in the mountains have spoiled me.  In addition to the multiple rock scrambles, there were a few great overlooks sprinkled along the trail.  I did see a deer (a different one from the days before), two snakes, a rabbit, and assorted squirrels. By lunchtime we’d reached the road crossing where Chaser was waiting.  I was worn out.  They were getting off the trail for a few days, and Chaser gave me a Coke and a couple of oranges before I headed on.

After leaving them, I hiked on to the 501 shelter, a unique 4 walled enclosed shelter that had several amenities not offered at other shelters. In addition to being enclosed, they had access to electricity, bottled water, trash cans, and the ability to have pizza delivered there.  Since it was early, I decided to move on, but first stretched out for a nap, to recuperate some and avoid the worst heat of the day.

By mid afternoon (and after a 2 hour nap) I was somewhat rejuvenated and decided to hike another hour or two before setting up camp, which I did. I still wasn’t 100%, so stopped a little earlier than I’d hoped to. A long day, short in miles. Tomorrow will hopefully be a better day, as I pass the 1200 mile mark in the morning.  

Until next time…