Day 3-4

My first real night on trail wasn’t that great. Because it’s a weekend there are also families camping at the lakes. One of them have a dog that barks all night at every moving grass he sees or sound he hears. At least that’s what it feels like. Also I wake up every time I want to turn around because me moving on my sleeping pad makes a sound that wakes me up. So over all in the morning I am very tired.

At 5:00h there is movement in camp as the first hikers already packed up and start hitting the trail again. I crawl out of my tent and until I had breakfast, packed up as well it is 8:00h.

Jeanette left already half an hour before me as she wanted to do more miles then I had planned. I won’t be seeing her until Etna.

It’s nice to be on trail that early. The sun is still behind the mountains so I am hiking in the shadow nearly until 11 a.m. That’s also the reason why most hikers start at between 5-6 a.m. Just to get more miles done when it’s cooler.

Today the trail is mostly on an even slope which makes it so much more enjoyable to hike compared to the first day. At approximately the half way point for today’s 16 miles I take a break. I take of my shoes and socks, stretch and eat something. I brought some Swiss chocolate to the trail. It feels very luxurious to eat that on trail.

The break was very nice and refreshing. In the morning, I had packed my backpack differently. Now all the heavy items are at the bottom of the pack. That distributes the weight much better and is also less straining on my shoulders. The only disadvantage is, that my food is now also at the bottom. So I have to „plan“ what I want to eat during my breaks in the morning when I pack my backpack or I will have to get everything out just to get to lunch 😐

After my 45 minutes lunch break, I continue the trail. I would like to do one more break but I don’t „dare“ to because I want to make it to a tent site and I am afraid, that there will be no spot for me when I make it there. It turns out, my fear was not necessary. At my arrival around 4:45 p.m. I am the first one there. So I pitch my tent at a spot protected by bushes but closer to the trail. And I lay down in my tent to rest.

This is the first time I am „dry camping“ as there is no water source at the tent site. This requires that one checks the maps to see when there is a next water source. In today’s case it’s 2.5 miles after the tent site. I brought 4l of water to cook and drink and for breakfast the next day, as well as for the first 2 miles of tomorrow’s trail.

While I am resting, more hikers arrive, also a German hiker couple. We talk a lot over dinner and it’s nice to hear their stories of the trail.

At 8:30 p.m. I am going to bed. Let’s hope that the next night is better than the previous one…

Day 4

This night I slept better but I still woke up everytime I turned around. Sometimes due to other noises. I thought, I heard some bigger animal close to my tent, but it ran away from the sound of me turning on my sleeping pad. I had seen deer yesterday and their hoof prints. So I thought it must have been a deer and continued sleeping.

At the usual time (approx. 5:30 a.m.) I can hear my neighbors waking up and starting to pack up. I remain in my tent for a bit longer. Until now I am still not an early bird….. 😇

I realize that this morning I have quiet a lot of condensation on the inner side of my tent. This phenomenon is to be expected with single wall tents. This is just the first time that it’s happening to me. I try to dry the walls (or better roof) with my small towel but that doesn’t help much. I will have to let the tent air out and dry when I pitch it again tonight. Fortunately, nothing else got wet. I think that I got the condensation because I had my tent set up quite low and also had both vestibules closed. In the coming nights I will try to leave at least one vestibule door open for better ventilation.

While I am looking to a place to dig my cat hole, I see the paw prints of a bear perhaps 10m/30-40 feet of my tent on an old dirt road. Could that sound last night have been a bear? 😲 The prints look a bit old to me and other hikers confirm my thoughts. But who knows????

At the above mentioned spring I meet more hikers and we chat a bit. Having nice, cold and clear water from a spring is luxurious. I really enjoy this cold water.

The next section I am hiking through reminds me so much of the computer game Red Dead Redemption 2 that I have played some months ago. This game takes place in the late 1880s. I walk through lush green forests with meadows, water, shade and a lot of atmosphere. I am expecting an abandoned cabin in the woods after every corner where I will find cigarette collectible carts like in the game. Also I am hoping that the hunting trophy animals like cougars and bears won’t appear like in game…. 😊

At noon I take a break at a campground and chat with another hiker. It is so nice to sit at a picknick table and not on some makeshift seat like a rock or small log.

After my break I continue on the trail. There is a climb ahead of me and the heat is intense. Also there is only little shade. I am feeling so hot and my t-shirt is drenched in sweat. Then I remember that I am carrying a sun umbrella and I try it. It turns out to be a really nice improvement. The advantage is that I can point it towards the sun and I am always walking in the shadow now. The disadvantage is that I can only use one trekking pole. But I prefer the „mobile shade“.

The ascent I am currently on, I descended prior lunch…. I am feeling so hot even with my mobile shade… Couldn’t they have built a 4 mile long bridge for hikers to cover this valley…. Damn, how more elevation gain…. Still 1000ft…. Where is the next cold water source…. are only a few of my thoughts during that climb 🤪

At around 5:30 p.m. I reach my intended goal for today. A tent side next to Mosquito Lake. I really hope that the name of the lake isn’t foreshadowing. There is also a stream close to the site originating from the lake. It’s so nice to have water close to your tent site.

After arrival I directly pitch my tent to let it dry out. This time I pitch it a bit higher then yesterday. Once it’s dry (within 30 minutes after setting up) I throw my quilt over it so that it can also dry out should there be some remaining humidity inside.

I am chatting with the hiker I met during lunch time as it happens he is at the same site. Later I prepare my dinner, wash myself a bit (at least the dirt of my legs).

I really enjoy being able to eat and drink something warm. There are hikers who only cold soak their meals. Mainly because they don’t want to carry the weight of a stove and fuel canister. For me personally, being able to have a nice hot soup and meal in the evening is worth the extra weight.

This night I am leaving one vestibule door open for the first time for better ventilation. I find it a bit strange to be so „exposed“ to nature, so I lay my headlamp and my pocket knife next to my pillow, just in case. I don’t know what I am expecting or how I would react and most probably it’s ridiculous, but I feel better being prepared.

With the constant sound of water running down a hill I fall asleep.