Today started off wet... I was soaked through in the first mile, mostly because I had to put on damp clothes from yesterday's rain storm. Soon after I left the shelter I came to Captains place a house basically with free soda. Dividing the house from the trail is a normally calm river but not today. There is no bridge across, but a pully system with nothing but a 2x6 to stand on...I went across anyhow, can't turn down a free soda.
Once back on trail I hi tailed it up a steep 2.6 mile climb to another shelter. At the shelter were other hikers hiding from the rain, what started as a quick lunch break turned into me sitting in the shelter for about four hours trying to get warm and dry. About 4o'clock the rain quit and the sun started to peak through...thank God. I rigged up a clothes line and ate some food. One hour later I was packed and ready to move on... 8.1 miles to the next shelter was my goal.
During this late day hike I saw quite a few salamanders and a deer up above me on the ridge. Finally some wild life...havnt seen a whole lot since the decent to hot springs. As the day drew to an end and night fall rolled around I was still on trail, the massive amounts of rocks and flooded trail made travel slow. Luckily for me the deer were out enjoying the dryer weather too, in a matter of ten min. I saw 14 deer it was great. My headlamp was next to make an appearance, time for my first solo night hike! I cruised for about an hour and a half by lamp light, only to run up on more deer that scared the crap out of me. 9:30 I strolled into my home for the night, set up my shelter, ate and hung my bear bag. Now I'm in my tent warm and dry ah relief.
Unfortunately I have poison ivy in quite a few spots, I've been walking around a little off trail foreging food, like cats briar and chick weed both are delicious. I've also had my eye out for ginseng.
9 mile skid on a 10 mile ride, hot as a pistol but cool inside.
Carpenter