Day 103: Escape from the bugs!

Day: 103 Miles: 10.9 Trip: 1444.5 Started: Morgan Steward Sh. Destination: Wingdale NY

The past two days have been real hot!  Yesterday I was feeling pretty tired in the legs and generally very lethargic.  I can only attribute this to the weather.  I have been drinking plenty of water, but the heat has a way of wearing you down.  No matter what, in general my legs always feel pretty good, yesterday they just felt weak.

Oh, don't let me forget  to mention the mosquitoes!  They are so bad, I must stop every few hundred feet and swat them off my body.  This combined with the heat has a real debilitating effect.  Yesterday I only did 10 miles into a shelter where I set up my tent and promptly got in to hide from the bugs. By 6pm I was fast asleep and did not wake up until morning, I did not even have time to square away my gear or food, I just pretty much passed out.

The AT passes right by Nuclear Lake.  I tranquil lake not easily accessed by roads.  I decided to go for a swim to escape the mosquitoes.  I took out my Therma-Rest air pad I use for sleeping and used it as raft.  I spent about an hour and a half floating out to the center of the lake where there were no bugs.  One of the best relaxing experiences so far.  I wished at the time I did not have to come back to shore.  As soon as I did the mosquitoes were once again attacking me ferociously.

Today my legs and body in general feel much better, but the bugs are still getting me down in a major way.  The mosquitoes are no surprise when passing through swamp lands.  A Sound of Thunder'.

This stretch of swamp before Wingdale is covered by a boardwalk like the one in NJ.  For some reason these boardwalks remind me of the path in Ray Bradbury's book '

When I got to the Wingdale road crossing I decided I had had enough and made the three mile walk to town to get a room.  Mosquitoes might be the one thing that forces me off the trail, I hope I can find a way to cope with them.

Also at the NY 22 road crossing is the Appalachian Trail train station.  Possibly to coolest little train station ever!  The train only stops here on the weekends, but how cool is to to have a train station right on the trail!