Miles hiked: 27.2
Mile marker: 1788.3
Total ascent: 3100 ft
Total descent: 2500 ft
I’m late getting going. I’m so exhausted and just want to sleep. At least I slept well last night!
My feet and ankles are tight as I begin the hike in the dark blue morning.
After several miles, we come to a cabin with a pump that requires extra long arms to pump water while holding your bottle under the faucet. The cabin smells of a hamster cage. Mouse droppings are everywhere! Even the large tin of coffee has bite marks on the lid.
The trees are furry like grinch fingers. They look like Christmas trees. Some are black with spider web branches that curve downward, looking like something Jack the Skeleton would put in his home in The Nightmare Before Christmas.
I’m surprised when I cross a busy road to a water cache when Rafiki says, “I’m going to do lunch here.”
Is it that time already?
Lunch always flies by. There’s so much to do, and I’m making some Mac n cheese.
Rafiki swears and I see he’s knocked over his whole pot of noodles! I know how that feels!
A deer circles around us about five times before finally disappearing.
Lunch comes to an end too soon, and we’re off again.
The sky is overcast as I move through the smooth path and pointy trees. I pause to listen to the birds. Woodpeckers melodically hit their trees, creating a Congo drum line. Other birds chirp along.
I begin to feel lightheaded as I head up the hill. Sort of fuzzy in my head. I plug in a new audio book called Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (who wrote Coraline).
We finally reach the junction, our campsite! The dead trees are problematic, but we manage to find a spot without any big threats.
The giant black ants crawl all over my bag as I get ready for bed. We’re all hungry. In fact, we all eat and are still hungry!
An older guy pauses to chat with us. He lives in between Medford and Ashland and loves coming out here!
With the threat of rain tonight, we all settle down into bed. It’s been another long day!
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