The word for day was 'slop', a consequence of last night's heavy rain, plus poor drainage on the trail. I awoke this morning to drizzle then fell back asleep. At 6:15am, I walked outside to pee and discovered that what I thought was rain was actually water dripping from the tree canopy. I packed up, ate breakfast, and started hiking at 7:30am. After a short climb, the AT descended for a mile then gradually ascended for 1000 feet to Little Pond Mountain. From the summit, the trail descended then climbed 1000 feet to the Goddard shelter. I ran Into Joe and Achilles, whom I've met several times over the past ten days, plus several north bounders who stayed in the shelter last night. After a short climb to the summit of Glastonbury Mountain, I headed downhill to Kid Gore shelter, dodging patches of mud and straddling puddles (see photo). Past Kid Gore, I encountered more of the same crummy trail conditions. Did I mention the abundance of slippery rocks? I stopped briefly at the Story Spring shelter to chat with a section hiker then headed downhill toward Stratton-Arlington Road where Joe, Achilles, and I planned to camp. More mud, mores puddles, plus thrashing through underbrush overhanging the trail. At 5:30pm, we arrived at the campsite, tired from the day's exertions. My lower legs were caked with mud. Today was not enjoyable for me. Hopefully, the fair weather for the rest of the week will perk up my spirits. Today's miles - 21.0. Total miles - 1633.2
