Wednesday, May 17, 2017
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Started 07:25 AM, stopped 06:25 PM.
Ave mph was 1.65, including lunch.
Battery used: 6 percent
Fitbit: 50,064 steps, 23.61 mi, 4309 cal
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Walked 18.2 miles from McCargoe Cove to South Lake Desor campground. Today I saw a woodpecker, a stork, a rabbit and squirrels. The stork was flying through a thicket of trees, impressive! The woodpecker was a mix of mostly blues, and kept moving up the tree as I tried to take a photo.
The rain started again about 2:00 pm. The trail was again lousy with blow down, but now it had mud puddles and mud bogs or swamps. Since I'm using trail runners, I try to go around any water. [Note this is somewhat futile. My socks and shoes are wet the rest of the trip. But it does minimize mud!].
Avoiding the water requires more bushwhacking than the blow down! Even immediately adjacent to the path, there is waist high brush. Sometimes leaves hide little water excursions from the main puddles, and this is what refreshes my shoe and sock dampness. Sometimes it seems my right sneaker soaks up the water even if it just senses a nearby puddle.
All of the rocks, roots and bushwhacking is tough on the toes, ankles and knees. I don't think I've seen a flat stretch of trail for normal hiking longer than 100 yards.
I met a couple coming from Windigo that seemed well equipped with rain gear. They said they flew in the day before and camped at Lake Desor. A solo hiker looked miserable. He had a poncho and no rain pants, and had most of his face covered. He said he was cold and wet and was going to try and get to a shelter. He had a long way to go in the rain if he went that far.
The rain didn't stop. I set up the tarp in the rain. But there was some good ground cover. And it had drainage around it. I lived with what water I had, and got set up nicely.
Everything I was wearing was wet. I think it was the hood on my base layer that was different. Water went down my neck, and it usually doesn't. I was glad to have purchased and brought the extra ground cloth. I was able to lay out most of my wet stuff underneath my tarp.
I put the pack up next to the tall pole, and it kept back splash off of me and my quilt/bivy.
Cooking space was tight to avoid melting the cuben groundcloth. And I noticed afterwards that my stove's wind screen also acted as a rain screen!
Unfortunately I didn't bring extra shorts or warm bottoms. I had to work diligently to keep the wind from getting under my quilt.
It rained hard all afternoon, evening and night. No lulls today.
The End
The End
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