T+33 Resupply foibles

​T+33 (July 1, 2020)

Navigation Report:
Start point: Mt. Algo Shelter (mile 1469.8)
Destination: Undetermined. Hoping for Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter (mile 1477.1). If stuck in town too late Mt. Algo Shelter (mile 1469.8).

Travel log:
8:00 Break Camp (mile 1469.8)
8:15 Macedonia Rd. (mile 1470.1)
8:45 Kent, CT
3:30 Back on AT (mile 1470.1)
4:00 View (mile 1471.0)
5:40 Caleb's Peak (mile 1473.6)
Gilo St. John's (edges (mile 1474.2)
7:30 Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter (mile 1477.1)

Daily Mileage = 7.3 
Total Mileage = 322.8 

Commander’s Report:
Today was a world class exercise in dealing with Murphy and his annoying law (never trust the Irish amirite?).

The big plan for today was to go in to Kent, CT and get my resupply done. But this wasn’t any normal resupply. No, I also needed to get new hiking boots and to run a couple of side errands.

Here was my specific plan:
1) Go to quickie mart (10 min)
     - Use ATM to get cash money
     - Buy soap / shampoo → use cash and get $2 in quarters for the public shower
2) Get breakfast on way through town (20 min)
3) Go to pharmacy (20 min)
     - bandaids
     - KT tape
4) Go to Welcome Center
     - Start battery charging (1.5 hrs)
     - Shower
5) Go to laundromat (45 min)
     - Start load of laundry
6) Go to IGA (45 min)
     - resupply food, batteries, etc.
7) Go to Post Office
     - send REI Return
     - pick up package
​​8) Go to laundromat (45 min)
     - transfer to dryer
9) Transfer groceries to food bag (30 min)
10) Retrieve clothes and pack bag
11) Go to shoe store (?? min)
     - buy new hiking boots
12) Eat something (10 min)
13) Get back on trail

Good plan, but it fell apart immediately. Neither the Quickie Mart, nor the pharmacy sold travel / trial size bars of soap or shampoo. 

Here was the actual sequence of events:
1) Quickie Mart (5 min)
     - ATM
2) Breakfast (20 min)
3) Pharmacy (30 min)
     - band aids
4) Welcome Center
     - battery charging
5) IGA (30 min)
     - resupply
     - giant bar of Patchouli smelling glycerine soap
6) Post Office (30 min)
7) Welcome Center
     - transfer groceries to food bag (30 min)
     - shower (10 mins)
8) Laundromat (10 min)
     - start wash
9) Welcome Center (30 min)
     - wait
10) Laundromat (10 min)
     - transfer to dryer
11) Shoe store
     - see what they have (can't try on yet)
12) welcome Center (20 min)
     - wait
13) laundromat (10 min)
     - pick up clothes
14) Welcome center (10 min)
     - pack bag
15) shoe store (1 hr)
16) Quickie Mart (25 min)
     - ice cream to go
     - wait for rain to pass
17) Get back on trail

​Enough griping, here's the new boots. They're Merrell size 11 wide and have more toe room than any boot / shoe I've ever owned. Hopefully this alleviates blistering and doesn't cause 'em elsewhere!

​About a mile after the return to the AT is a view point. I really liked this view, mainly because of the sole spot carved out of the trees which prevented it from being a “sea of trees" pic.

​About 2.5 miles after that is Caleb's Peak. I don't know what my former student did to deserve the honor, but he got a place with mighty fine views named after himself. (He says he was always a looker!)

View from Caleb’s Peak

More views from Caleb’s Peak

​The test noteworthy site today comes a half mile north of Caleb's Peek. - St. John's ledges. Again, nice views of the Housatonic River valley across / below.

St. John’s Ledges

​I managed to make it in to camp at 7:30 and hastily set up my tent. I was barely able to get everything set before the storms rolled in.

Everything remains more or less dry, but the food bag, cooking supplies, and boots are covered in mud from the splattering off the ground. I really wish there were sites here with duff on the ground to prevent that splatter!