Day 79

Day 79 May 25 – 22 miles – Harpers Creek Shelter to Paul Wolfe Shelter

When we woke up in the morning the sound of the nearby creek was much louder than it was the night before.  The heavy rain had turned the little stream into a little raging stream.

 

Snowshoe and Sailor crossed the stream on as very slippery log.  The rest of us decided to ford the river the old fashion way.  None of us really wanted to start the day with wet feet but that’s what we did.

 

After we crossed the stream we went up a 2100 foot climb to the top of Three Ridges Mountain.  There were several chances for views but we were skunked on every one.

On the way down we stopped at an overlook for a snack.

 

Around lunch time we came to a road crossing that had a picnic table  nearby.  We didn’t get to eat lunch at a table often so we took the opportunity to eat lunch in style.  We were almost finished eating when dark clouds rolled in and rain started coming down in buckets.  We packed up as fast as we could and ran for the trees.

Not long after, the rain stopped and the sun came out. We finally had a view or two.

 

Even though the rain had stopped, there were many parts of the trail where I felt like a salmon heading upriver.

 

 

Eventually I started to look forward to the parts of the trail that were underwater.  It meant I could replace the dirty water in my shoes and socks with fresh water.

Right before we got to the Paul Wolfe Shelter we came to the longest river crossing we had come to yet.

 

It may sound like I’m dramatizing all the river crossings but keep in mind that the main concern with any river crossing is not drowning.  Its falling and submerging our packs.  All of our clothes would get wet and, more importantly, our sleeping bags would get wet.  Sleeping bags are the last line of defense against the cold.  Without them we could be in a world of trouble.

Flashfire and Zeus were already set up in the shelter. Stoat set up his hammock and I ate dinner.  After I finished eating I was to tired to set up my hammock.  I figured it didn’t matter if I slept comfortably or not.  Tomorrow we only had a five mile walk into town.

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