What an Adventure

Carter notch hut to The Barn Hostel

13.8 miles 

Ascent 4203 feet

Descent 6699 feet

I woke feeling pretty groggy after two beers yesterday. Alcohol seems to affect me more on trail. Within minutes after getting up I was over it.

My pack was so unorganised, I could not be bothered to put everything in its place so ended up just stuffing the pack and got on trail by 7am. 

Before I left the hut I ate breakfast sitting opposite Show Pony. He was kind enough to share his oatmeal which went down well with black coffee.

Leaving the hut Show Pony said I’ll catch you up as he went to the toilet. Catch me up, no way man. I was standing on the 4K mountain Carter Dome within 35 minutes after a 2000 foot climb.

It was so sweet to see a medium sized snake resting on a rock in the sun. I stayed and watched the snake for about 5 minutes. I took a video and photos.

I called my family today and spoke with Gunsection, Campfire and my father. They were all at my sisters in Croydon. It was nice to check in with them.

The decent today was over 6,500 feet and rocky, I met a few south bounders (Sobo). Each time zone saw a Sobo I asked if they had seen any moose in Maine. Most of them said either no or yes but only one.

Finally at the bottom I found trail magic by Water Queen (WQ). I sat with her for about 45 minutes eating and talking. WQ hiked the AT last year during COVID. She managed to complete the entire trail. This year her daughter is hiking. I ate 2 x hotdogs, donuts, chocolate and drank 2 x hot chocolates plus a chocolate almond drink. I was full and content when I finished.

I found a hostel called The Barn which is like being at home. The entire inside is made of wood. There are about 10 of us here, so many characters. The first person I saw when opening the door was Reckless Abandon, I was pleased to see him.

I’m taking a zero day tomorrow and going to apply for an extension on my visa. So no hiking for me. Time to put my feet up for a day.