QUESTION? IS IT WRONG TO PICTURE YOURSELF AT THE MARINA DRINKING A COLD BEER AND YOU'RE ONLY 45 MINUTES INTO YOUR 5 DAY SHAKE DOWN HIKE?
NOT FAR INTO THE WALK I MET PADDINGTON, FLO-MO AND AM-FOG. ALL THREE HAD STARTED IN SPRINGER IN MARCH AND WERE MAKING GOOD TIME TO GET TO THE END. AS THEY WENT BY I THOUGHT TO MYSELF THAT I'D PROBABLY NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN AS THEY PASSED ME EARLY IN THE DAY AND WERE WALKING MUST FASTER THAN I. LITTLE DID I KNOW THAT I'D SEE THEM THE ENTIRE WEEK OF MY HIKE.
THE TRAIL TODAY IS VERY DEMANDING WITH MANY ROCKY SECTIONS AND THE TEMPERATURES ON THE TOPS, WHERE THE ROCKS WERE SOAKING UP THE SUNLIGHT, IS NEAR 100 DEGREES. MY GOAL FOR TODAY IS 12 MILES WHICH WILL PUT ME AT THE WILDCAT SHELTER. DURING THE HEAT OF THE DAY I ALMOST RAN OUT OF WATER BUT MANAGED TO FIND A COUPLE STREAMS, ONE OF THEM A LITTLE MURKY, TO FILTER WATER AND STAGGERED INTO CAMP AROUND 1400 HOURS. NOT BAD 12 MILES IN 7 HOURS ON MY FIRST DAY. WHEN I GOT TO THE SHELTER I MET MARIPOSA, A LADY ABOUT MY AGE WHO WAS HIKING NORTH BY HERSELF, SEVEN AND DOUBLE-TAP WHO COME TO FIND OUT WERE A MARRIED COUPLE BOTH NURSES FROM MILWAUKEE. ALL THREE WERE ESCAPING THE 90 PLUS DEGREE HEAT IN THE SHELTER. I ROLLED OUT MY PAD AND SPENT THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS RECOVERING. AFTER RECOVERING I ROLLED OUT MY PAD AND SLEEPING BAG LINER FOR THE NIGHT. I GOT WATER FOR DINNER, COOKING AND FOR THE NEXT DAY DECIDING TO CARRY AN EXTRA TWO LITERS DUE TO THE HEAT, BIG MISTAKE, BUT MORE ABOUT THAT TOMORROW. THE NIGHT WAS QUIET EXCEPT FOR A RUDE FAMILY WHO SHOWED UP AFTER DARK AND MADE LOTS OF NOISE AND KEPT EVERYONE AWAKE MUCH LATER THAN WE WANTED.
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