June 2
End: Glencliff
Miles: 14.6
Total: 3647.7
I awoke in my hexagonal chamber to find it quite light out. The sun was rising by five in the morning, meaning that I could no longer keep up, and always found myself waking up after daybreak.
I got ready to go, but just as I was about to leave, rain hit, just as forecast. I got my full set of rain gear on and set out into the wetness. My progress was slow, and my first task was Mt. Cube. The mountain itself was not particularly tall, but the top consisted of totally windswept and wet rock slabs, which were not easy to cross. My time on Mt. Cube was short, and on the other side I checked my time and realized that I was moving painstakingly slow.
I accidentally ripped the zipper off of my rain jacket. It definitely was not shaping up to be a good day. I moved on and passed a road, missing the turn for the AT and having to walk back when I realized my mistake. I wondered if I should try to hitch to Glencliff to get my mail, but pressed forward on the trail.
At one point I tried to arrange to have my package left outside the post office if necessary. As I passed over Mt. Mist I realized that I was finally making good time, and could get to the post office before it closed.
I arrived at the road to town and walked the short distance to the post office. I retrieved my mail and sent some stuff home, then looked outside to find it still raining away. After some thought I decided to stay at the hostel across the street rather than press on in the rain.
I had accomplished my most important task: getting my food from the mail. The rest of the day I enjoyed watching television and using the hostel’s internet. Later Drop Out, Groundhog, Maverick, Goose, and Bluegrass all showed up, having hiked a little farther than I that day. They agreed that Mt. Cube had been tough, and also that they had been hit by heavy rain after I had gotten to the hostel.
I enjoyed the company of a large group of thru-hikers as well as Bohemian Nighthiker, who seemed to be virtually living at the hostel. There was a giant bag of chocolate chips in the hiker box which I choked down on while we watched movies. Late at night I finally got to bed. I assume it rained all through the night.