Day #1 of this section was a 14 mile slackpack back to Mtn Harbor. Perhaps I bit off more than I could chew, but at least I finished before dark! Better yet, the grill was still open; I scored a pastrami smash burger and Parmesan fries with a Diet Coke.

I met tons of people on trail today. Early in the day in ran into Soulman, the trail chaplain for this section . Met several young fast thru hikers and also hiked a bit with another pastor.

Craziest of all, three hikers passed me while I was taking a break. Turns out we all went to same high school in Bethesda, MD. One was in the class behind me and had a bizarrely similar career path to mine. Small world 🌎

AT Thru-Hike Stats
Section Day #1 (5/4/26)
Start - FS Rd 293 (409.3)
End - Mountain Harbor (395.6)
Today's mileage: 13.7
Total section miles: 13.7
Section Avg:  13.7
Total miles on AT: 1327.1

To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain, and play with it. – Charlie Chaplain