Today’s hike was as perfect as I could hope for given that it’s still very early in my trip. I felt very good. I was on my way at six and the weather was good. At my first water stop, about 3 miles in, I met two gentlemen from Jacksonville, Alabama, who were out on a couple-day hike practicing their survival skills. We talked about life in Alabama and one of them showed me how to make a trap using a heavy rock that could catch a squirrel or other small rodent. After filtering the water and adding the electrolytes, I said goodbye and continued north. I like to start early because it helps me avoid the main heat of the day, but also because I’m a morning person. Plus, I don’t sleep very well on the trail, so there’s no point lying in my bed or in the shelter trying to get a couple more hours of sleep when I could be up and walking. This morning’s climbs were tolerable; At no point did I get dizzy. I ate on my schedule, drank when the clock rang, and had a great morning.
Before I knew it, it was time for lunch and I was lucky enough to pass by a Forest Service campground, so I was able to sit at a picnic table instead of on the ground. I must admit that I enjoy having the convenience of a picnic table or a bench or even a fallen tree or a cut stump that keeps me from having to go down to the ground and then go back up and down and up and down and up. After lunch I stretched a little and moved on. I was starting to get a little bored at this point, so I started listening to some music, which seems to alleviate the boredom. Of course, this time yesterday I was listening to BPR, but I hadn’t been able to download any other episodes and I didn’t have cell service, so it was Spotify. Around noon I started to notice the heat and checked my thermometer. It said 81 (degrees Fahrenheit).
Fortunately, it was very tolerable hot. Plus, I was deep enough in the woods to not feel the directness of the sun. When I was planning my day last night, I estimated that I would arrive at the next shelter at 3 o’clock. Imagine my surprise when at 2 o’clock I saw the shelter right in front of me. I was finally making decent time on the trail! One last obstacle before settling into camp: there was a deep stream that I had to cross. however, I couldn’t see a viable route that would allow my feet to stay dry. Not wanting to get my shoes soaked overnight, I put on my Crocs and crossed the stream. As I did so, I noticed that the middle part was easily waist-high and would offer an easy opportunity to take a dip in the stream. But not before I took all my wet gear out of my backpack and let it dry in the shelter. (Remember that storm I mentioned last night? Yes, it was a strong storm and it rained heavily for four hours. Fortunately, I stayed dry and the tent withstood the wind. I survived!!!)
At 3:00 I was already settled in the shelter and it was time to head to the stream. Before heading down, I took off my compression shorts and put on just the shorts to run toward the creek. I walked into the stream with today’s hiking clothes in hand, rinsed all my clothes in the stream, took them out and stored them on a log next to the stream. The creek was a little cold, but not so cold that it wasn’t worth it. After rinsing my clothes and taking a shower, I returned to the shelter and hung my wet clothes on the clothesline to dry. (Yes, I carry a short piece of rope so I can hang a clothesline every night at camp. I learned this trick while on a bike tour. It was a winning strategy in the west over the summer. I’m still not sure if it will become a permanent part of my backpacking gear.) After about an hour, I gathered up my tent and other items I had left to dry and packed them up for the next morning. Around 4:30, I turned on the stove to boil some water for my dinner, which tonight would be one of my favorites, a chicken pot pie recipe I remember from pre-trail practice meals that I really enjoyed. While dinner was cooking, I checked in with my wife to make sure everything was okay at home. Shortly after I sat down to enjoy my meal. I have to say that I enjoy spending the night near a water source because I love being able to drink a lot when I eat. After dinner, I cleaned up, prepared my bedding, and placed my wet clothes in the shelter so they could continue drying overnight. Around 7:30 I got into my sleeping bag and tried to fall asleep. I was restless and played solitaire on my phone until I started to feel sleepy. At 8:30, I was ready to turn out the lights. Good night.
Happy trails. . .
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