4.16.2018 Monday Day 23

Yet another day of ups and downs out here. Overall, the terrain was beautiful. We followed Deep Creek pretty much all day long. Such a sight as we hiked along the canyon walls. The wind that we had through last night remained with us through the day. For the first half of the day though, it seemed as if it were at our backs. The trail being on the side of the canyon wasn’t favorable for a fast pace today.

We had maybe 5 miles in before 11 and we were all starving (I think we were hiking by 8am). So we stopped for early lunch and planned the next stop for the 2ish miles down trail to the Hot Springs. I couldn’t wait to soak my feet in the hot pool of water but there were too many people when we arrived. We soaked in the cool water and gathered water upstream from the hot spring area. When the crowd dispersed we had a few minutes of solitude.

After the hot springs we kinda bottle necked with a few other hikers. We wanted to hike as fast as possible but wind had other plans for us. This time the wind was at our faces and almost dangerous in some spots as it was so strong it could have blown us over. But alas, we survived another day.

There’s not much for camping spots for the next 50ish miles so we had to be creative tonight and with the wind crazy again this evening, the chance of finding a sheltered spot was even less. There are 5 guys near us braving the elements cowboy style. I found the largest rock I could find to hold down the stake where my trekking pole is attached. I never pitch this thing perfectly but let’s hope tonight it’s a good one again!!! 🙂

All in all, another good day. We ended up hiking 15 miles today. Tomorrow we are going to shoot for another 16 miles. There’s a picnic area where we can cha the devices and possible order a pizza. Pretty random, but hey we will take it.

I did get a message from my dad that was concerning. So to the family as home, my thought are with you and I will call home tomorrow when I get a chance. Hugs goodnight.