Perhaps because we stayed up until 10:30 sharing a fire with Suess and Chickadee, Dwight and I were both total slugs today. It was like a plug had been pulled, and all the energy I had yesterday had drained out of me. I was particulary lagging behind Dwight on the downhills, where I kept sliding on the loose gravel--twice falling on my butt and both times using the same spot on my right had to catch my fall..ouch! A not so subtle reminder that granite is hard. (And, Yes, I'll take some cheese with that whine.)
Around 11 we were both out of water, but decided we could wait for a noon lunch break before making another stop. I lost sight of Dwight due to my slow pace and walked for what seemed like 2 hrs with no sign of him. I had decided I would stop at the next water crossing and eat lunch with or without him.
The next water was at a ford just past a trail crossing. Achilles, Yetti, Suess and Chickadee had all forded and were having lunch on the other side. I asked Achilles if they'd seen Dwight and he said they hadn't. He asked if I thought Dr
Bug had taken the wrong trail at the crossing. "Unlikely", I told him. For one thing, Dwight had the maps and also I didn't think he'd go past the crossing without waiting for me to catch up. Dwight and I always waited for each other at trail crossings just to make sure we headed down the same path.
I started across the river and lost my footing, and decided to just get water and return to the trail crossing. I made my lunch and waited. Dwight must have stopped somewhere along the trail and I must have passed hie without knowing it, I hoped.
Some time passed and here came Dwight. He'd stopped to get water at a creek. He said he thought he heard me pass but didn't yell out. He also broke our rule of leaving your pack at the side of the trail if you stop. I would have gotten into him over it, but he'd already gotten his due. Just after heading on the trail with his 3 liters of water, he yanked at his water tube thinking it had a kink in it, and he immediately felt water down his back. Before he could get his pack off, almost the entire 3 liters was emptied--with his sleeeping bag getting the worst of it. Needless to say, he wasn't in the greatest mood. He dumped out his pack at the trail crossing and we stayed there until his sleeping bag was nearly dry.
We shuffled on to Wilmer Lake battling it out with the mosquitos enroute. We stopped for dinner a hr or so before this and I nearly fell asleep sitting against a rock before Dwight finished up with the stove. He shared his dinner with me since I didn't have enough water to cook and was too tired anyway.
We slept cowboy with the netting having between trees. It still amazes how effective this is at keeping he mosquitos out--even though it is pretty disturbing to watch them all hovering aroung just inches away and buzzing up a storm.
No comments:
Post a Comment