OT Mile 182.4
Miles Hiked 155.9
Elevation 875 feet
Miles Hiked Today 15.0
It got cold last night. I pulled out my wool undershirt during the night. Then in the early morning, I put my long underwear on and my buff. I don’t think it was as cold as it was windy, but just the same the wool shirt and underwear made it more comfortable.
I hated getting out of bed at 5:15 a.m. with the cold and all, but I had 15 miles to go and an early start was essential. I was on my way while it was still dark at about 6:15 a.m. .
The beginning of the day was not as strenuous as the prior day. There were no big ascents for descents. However, that changed in the afternoon. The rocks were back and towards the end of the day there was a big climb to a shelter. These climbs to shelters cannot be a coincidence. I’d love to talk to the trail designer to see what they had in mind when they put all these shelters at the top of a climb.
So after tripping and stumbling my way to the shelter courtesy of all the rocks, I arrived at the shelter just as it was getting dark. Fortunately, I didn’t need my headlamp to see where I was going.
Tomorrow will be a 14-mile hike or about a 7-mile hike. There is a large campground in 5 miles. They have showers, flush toilets and water. It’s a ways off the trail, so if I go, I will not do the 14 miles. There’s another shelter about 7 miles from where I am tonight, and that’s probably where I will go if I stop at the campground.
