Miles Hiked: 8.0
Hours Hiked: 9
Even though I was at the shelter with Hardway, Squirrel, Patrick and Bones last night I hiked alone all day today because they are so much faster than me. It gave me an opportunity to swim. The water wasn't as deep as I had hoped, but it felt good to get wet in icy cold stream water. I fell three times today, first landing on my side/hip, then landing on my knees, then like a turtle-flipped over on my back stranded on my pack. The last one was funny; the first two hurt like crazy. When I got to camp Bones reminded us that there would be a meteor shower tonight. We debated going up to the top of the mountain with our sleeping bags to sleep under the stars and leave our packs in the shelter. But at 7:30 a powerful thunderstorm blew in. So we all slept in the shelter-all seven of us-this means we sleep elbow to elbow. Oh, well. Such is life on the trail.
Speaking of life on the trail, I have mentioned to some new hiker friends that I keep this blog and most of them respond that they have tried to keep a journal, or they have tried to update a blog, but after awhile the repetition causes them to stop. For example: "Today I woke up at sunrise. I packed up camp. I hiked. I ate snickers/cliff bars/mountain house meals. I hiked. It was hot/rainy/buggy. I hiked. There were some mountains, I hiked up. Then I hiked down. I arrived at the shelter and drank water. I slept when the sun went down. Tomorrow I will repeat." I hope that this blog does not become such monotony. (I remember this mostly when I post yet another picture of a stream that I crossed. But stream crossings are hard still, and so I am usually quite proud that I did not face plant there, and so I want to share the picture with you.)
Okay, pictures.
My swimming hole.
A stream crossing on the trail.
View from Poplar Ridge.
I very much enjoy this...no worries about repetition. You include much more detail than that and are really shaping a character out of the trail itself.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I read another hiker who wrote that she no longer hikes the trail because of expectations back home, or to say she finished 2,000+ miles, or to find the answers she was looking for in the beginning. She hikes the trail because it is her friend. The trail challenges her, comforts her, and accepts her unconditionally. And she looks forward to spending hours a day with the Trail. I can see how you say the trail is itself becoming a character.
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