Miles today: 11.1
Total miles: 1,732.2
Miles remaining: 452.0
Got up late today on purpose. We were tired from a late day yesterday. Before we broke camp this morning Man Boy hitched a mile to a deli and showed up back at camp with breakfast sandwiches. Great start to the day. I hiked with Voice and Man Boy again today. They're a couple of 18-year-olds from Pennsylvania, just out of high school. Funny guys.
We could have done more miles today but we deferred those miles to tomorrow since we're just going into town anyway. Once in town I'll resupply and replace some gear. It's funny, all this equipment and I'm outlasting all of it. Shoes, clothes, backpacks, I'm wearing it all out until it's literally falling off of me. But me, I am still here.
On conditioning and the hiker's body: it's a real joy to be able to experience firsthand what the body can do. I won't be able to sustain this once I'm finished, of course, but for now I can handle any climb set before me. I can gain thousands of feet in elevation without stopping, being out of breath, or having my heart rate race out of control. I'm as lean as I've ever been, and my weight has decreased as if it were any other piece of gear I own. My legs are carved out of solid marble. And it's all been one big preparation for the final stretch of the AT. Soon I'll be in the White Mountains and then in Maine, and I'll be put to the test. It will be very difficult yet very rewarding. I can't wait.
Camping near VT highway 14.
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