AT Day 87 – Too tired to eat 

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11th July

20.3 miles

Bushcamp (1459.2) Bushcamp (1479.5)

It rained overnight and continued until around 7.30am. I was in no rush so enjoyed a lazy breakfast in the tent. The trail followed sections of the Housatonic River until I hiked into the town of Kent to resupply.

The town of Kent is unlike any other trail town to date. I’m now in New England. People were no longer driving large pick up trucks. Everyone seemed to be driving Subaru, Volvos and Porches. There was disposable income in this town. Antique shops, chocolate shops and trendy cafes. And a school that looked like it cost a fortune to attend. The town of Kent has suffered a bad reputation among hikers as not being friendly. Several friendly locals stopped to chat with me, in fact as I was hiking the one mile back to the Appalachian Trail a friendly guy in a Subaru pulled over and asked if I wanted a lift back to the trail. This was certainly a friendly town.

While getting my lift back to the trail I was told the expensive school I hiked past cost $100000 per year to attend. I wish I took a photo to show how lovely the buildings, gardens and playing fields were. There was certainly a lot of pride in the presentation of the school and the whole town in general. As I hike further north in New England I wonder if it will continue.

Out of town there were some occasional steep sections of trail before it dropped down to follow the flat valley of the Housatonic River. Pleasant, easy hiking on beautiful flat trail. The miles came easy but not all was well with me.

I was feeling very tired. The weather wasn’t very hot but it was very humid. I haven’t been dry all day as a bake in my own sweat. Fatigued and nauseous I stopped to take a photo of an amazing bug. I dropped my new camera with my sweaty hands. It landed on a rock and damaged the case. The flash looks like it’s broken.

I was feeling more nauseous as the day progressed. There was a warning posted on a tree about a dangerous river crossing. In my weak state I wasn’t sure if I would attempt it or go around the one mile long detour. I wandered down to the river and crossed the steam without getting my feet wet.

But I was now beyond tired. I needed to make camp and rest. It was another mile or two before I found a flat spot for my tent. I was surprised to find out that I’d hiked over 20 miles today. That’s a big day considering how awful I felt. I was still nauseous and struggled to blow up my mattress. Also, I was unable to stomach eating any food. Tomorrow is a new day.

river trail
the heat is hot
resting in the tent

Next : Day 88 – Today is just a bad day

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About the Author:
Brad is an Australian who has completed the hiking Triple Crown after he hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail and Appalachian Trail. He has hiked on every continent (except Antarctica) and has cycled from Alaska to Ecuador. He is an expert on outdoor gear currently living in Chile.

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8 thoughts on “AT Day 87 – Too tired to eat ”

  1. Yes, Kent is probably unique among the towns on the Appalachian Trail. I live just a few miles away from there and go through town frequently, on my way to skiing, bike rides, etc. Kent is a weekend getaway for the wealthy who live in New York City or several of the nicer suburbs, and it’s a popular day drive for those who can’t afford to live there, with tons of art galleries, antique stores and restaurants.

    As far as the Kent School goes, my son looked at it when he was looking for a boarding school in 2004, but he ultimately chose a different one. Yes, the campus certainly is pretty. It’s really outstanding in terms of the educational experience and I understand the tuition these days is about US$60,000. It will probably reach $100,000 soon — when we looked at the school in 2004 it was “only” about US$35,000, so it has almost doubled in 15 years. They do have reductions in cost for those who can’t afford the full amount, however, so the wealthy are not the only ones who attend.

    Reply
    • Thanks for the info, Kent was an amazing little town, so different from every other town I’ve seen on the trail. Almost all of which seems to be struggling for existence in many ways.
      You certainly confirmed that the money spent on education is returned in quality education.
      Be sure to enter in the raffle on the Main Street to win a Porsche, I guess you’ve already seen it.

      Reply
  2. I was wondering, since you are 3/4s of the way done and i follow you daily here in KC in a factory making Chevrolet Malibus….what are your plans after the AT? I love your adventuers….PCT, CDT, Mexico, AT……cant let me down Aussie….I NEED YOU

    Reply
    • You should get your marketing people to speak to the folks in Connecticut. They certainly don’t drive Chevrolet. I have many more hiking and cycling journeys ahead of me, including another hike straight after the AT if my mind and body is still strong. Stay tuned, the future is looking very exciting.

      Reply
  3. I hope you feel better soon! I was wondering, because we never hear you complaining about being wet in your tent, do you just undress and stay naked while in your tent?

    Reply
    • I hope it’s just a bug I’ve picked up, interestingly I spoke with several other hikers feeling the same. They all blame the excess sweating and humidity. Not sure about that. As to the other part of your question, my clothes were soaking wet. Don’t want to wet my sleeping bag.

      Reply

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