Day 149: Hexacube Shelter

Day 149

Moose mountain shelter to Hexacube Shelter

Miles Hiked: 17.7

AT Milage: 1778.5

This morning I woke up to an amazing sunrise from the shelter. I didn’t even have to crawl out of my warm sleeping bag to see it. I was really slow and lazy about getting on trail because my legs were aching so bad. Usually they always ache when I go to bed and feel better in the morning. Today they were hurting really bad from my hips to my ankles. I got on trail around 7:15 am. I was hiking pretty slow for such a nice morning but then again, my legs were just not happy today. I took a break 2.5 miles in to rest my feet and then I took another break in another 2.5 miles at a view. I was really hungry so I got out my food bag and started to devour my hummus and mini bagels. I was waiting for Luna to catch up to me, but I accidentally walked off the AT to eat lunch so she passed me without either of us knowing it. I was eating lunch on a side trail near a falcon nesting area that had been fenced off. Everytime I stopped to take a break today it was so chilly I had to put on my hat and puffy coat but I was also still sweaty from while I was hiking. It was hard to drink enough water because the air was so cold yet I was still sweating a lot.

I hiked up Smarts Mountain which was 3238 feet tall. It was a super steep climb which even included metal rungs in one part. The trail keeps getting to be more and more vertical. I was proud of myself for keeping a good pace while going up the mountain. My strategy is to take small careful steps and take deep breaths to make sure my legs get enough oxygen. I was also trying to force myself to drink more water because I have a feeling that I’m dehydrated. At the top of Smarts mountain there was a cool fire tower that I climbed. The top was quite windy and it was a little scary. When I got down a checked out the cabin/shelter at the top where I ran into Luna. We hiked the rest of the way to camp together. She’s a super experienced hiker who is a bit older than me and I enjoy her company alot. We will probably split up tomorrow or soon because she is planning on hiking further than me. We camped at Hexacube shelter which was a cool six-sided shelter. We were the only thru hikers staying but there were lots of section hikers with us as well. Overall today was a really nice day. It’s supposed to rain tonight so that’s why we chose to sleep in the shelter. I’m so glad the AT has them!