The AT baptized me by allowing torrential rain for my first seven miles!!
Thank you, Mother Nature…you know best!
I arrived at a shelter and met Red Beard. A super nice man who played solitaire and looked after me while I took a much needed 30 minute nap!
After that, he returned to the road and looked for a place to spend the night. I was planning to only do 8 to 10 miles a day for the first week, but I ended up doing 14 to 15 miles.
During those miles, I realized that my backpack is too heavy!
This is what I have learned:
You don’t need a bear canister for much of this trail. Instead, get a bag of food – it will save you a lot of weight!
Research, read and watch videos. Then go gear up for a backpack. Don’t just choose one based on specifications. My backpack is too heavy, so I’ll have to get another one in the next 20 miles.
After collecting your backpack, make sure you have a shakedown done by an experienced hiker. This is so important! I didn’t get one until the day before we hit the AT and it made a huge difference.
Maryland has rock-strewn roads that kicked my butt! For all of you getting ready to hike through Maryland…be prepared!
Tonight I’ll be camping about 10 miles from the Maryland/Pennsylvania border, so tomorrow I’ll officially be in Pennsylvania! That means I passed through Maryland in just three days.
Tonight I’m staying in a shelter with Lovey. He is hiking this part of the trail and plans to finish it in about 10 days.
The tent campers tonight are Red Beard, Red Coat, Dirt Nap, and Maryposa.
Tonight was also the first night I had to fetch water from a stream. This trail has you traversing the water like a crazy monkey!
I went to bed last night at 6:45 and I feel like I’m going to stay up late tonight because it will be a little after 7:00.
Thank you to all my family and friends who follow my travels and pray for me. It really means more than you think!
P.S: 
This is Gunrunner, my first Trail angel with Trail magic! A trail angel is someone who accompanies hikers and brings them free snacks along the trail. You never know where to find them, but they are always a blessing!
That was the sandwich he gave me and I devoured it.
Those are just a small glimpse of the mile after mile of rocks we had to climb today.
Again and again,
Alpha Selah
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