Day Two - Into The Woods (3/7/2016)

[These journal-style entries will be posted whenever I can get a chance to queue them up, but they will be delayed from th actual dates]

This is my first real day on the trail after the slackpack up and down Katahdin yesterday. Now it's 7-10 days with nothing but me and my pack.

Despite cutting a huge amount of food, I'm pretty sure I have too much. I've decided that in a few days I'll hang a really low food bag as a sort of bear piñata.

It also turns out that the word Supple is not as widely known as I'd thought, so the trail name Supple Leopard is really not working. I'll have to rethink or get a new one.

I'm sleeping in a shelter tonight with Beef Jerky and Kangapard, two older hikers who are doing a flip-flop (they hiked north from Georgia to Harpers Ferry, and are now hiking south from Katahdin). Nice pair, lots of experience and Kangapard and I bonded over our affection for Oz.

Start : Daicey Pond
End : Hurd Brook Lean-to
Distance : 11 miles (17.6 km)
[Ed. note: Apologies for typos, I'm doing this from my phone because the hostel I'm at has terrible wifi.]

Away we go

Day 1 was today. Slackpacking up Mt Katahdin and back.

Not much to say except that I almost cancelled the first day because of the threat of hail and thunderstorms. When you're above the tree line, you make a great lightning rod. In the end, I decided that if I have to die by lightning on a mountain, then I have to die by lightning on a mountain.

I didn't die by lightning on a mountain.

Tomorrow it's on the trail for real (as in with a full pack, and several days of food, and no chance of blackened haddock and a pint of IPA at the end). I'm already tired and craving a burger.

A few people have asked about how to send me things on the trail. I'll try to post mailing addresses that I can pick mail up at. The first one will be Monson ME's post office [Ed: on the 11th of July, if all goes according to plan]. Use the following address:

Serje Robidoux
c/o General Delivery
2 GREENVILLE RD
MONSON, ME 04464-9998

If you do mail something, send me an email with [TopPriority] in the subject line. If I miss your letter/package, I can call the post office and ask them to forward it on.

Some photos of Day 1:

Registered for the climb 

It's official: As of now, I'm heading Southbound
on the Appalachian Trail.

The view on my way up.
If you look closely, there are some people there.

The same view on my way down.
If you look closely, there are still just rocks and a cloud.

Also, I have to thank my dad, who very awesomely drove down here with me and has ferried me about and taken care of errands while I play around in the woods. Best. Dad. Ever.