Maddening

CT north of Kent according to Baltimore Jack's trail resupply guide is the worst place for bugs.   When I read that I knew he didn't mean that.  As I scratch yet another thousand mosquito bites.  He didn't mean it after all he's the first person to hike the AT five or more times consecutively.  May be he means Maine.  I scratch again.  No, there is no other place on the AT where the king of the hill isn't a TV show.  They are little buzzing insects that bite everything and I mean everything.

In PA the saving grace was the people.  Dido here too.  The people I've talked to in Kent, Falls Village, and Salsbury are fantastic.  They are open and friendly like no other.  Who said there isn't hospitality North of the Mason-Dixon Line?   They aren't hiking my hike.  Warm and receptive.  I've sat outside many a small town shop chatting with folks.  At the IGA deli, the guy behind the counter asked why so many hikers order a particularly sandwich.  I explained we've had the ham & cheese, the turkey clubs, the ruben's etc so this is a likely choice.

The AT in CT is fairly well maintained.  There are parts that could use a little more help.  The terrain is easy with a few steep sections of built stone steps.  Lots of ferns and small creeks.

I'm meeting a fair share of South Bounders.  They've summitted Mnt K already.  Their mountain is Springer, personally anti-clamatic.  They've got miles to do.  I've got the Whites just around the bend of New England where 80% of the effort is said to be had.  Effort okay but, the psychological aspect of miles of VA's mindless scenery, PA's rocks, NY's top of the mountain swamps, and CT's bugs will make that effort grand.

I lay in the hammock trying not to scratch, hearing the bugs swarm around my head.  Baltimore Jack's words hold meaning.  The worst pests are North of Kent.

PS: I lay close go the 1500 mile mark for this year's measurement.  I have 687 left to go.  Wow, I've just tripled what I typically hike every year.  What challenges do I face in the last quarter?