Day thirty seven

Jim

June 25, 2024

Kept it to a more reasonable 18.5 today. I’ve got a 9.5 tomorrow morning into hikertown where I’ll bunker down for the day before my night hike. I’m really looking forward to the night hike, if a little nervous about how far I’ll end up needing to go. I’ve met a handful of folks now who all have the same plan and I’m excited to get to hike with them at least at the start.

The bugs today were truly horrendous. I was much happier hiking with direct sunlight beating down on me than in the shade where I had to take careful measured breaths just to inhale 50% fewer bugs. I also had a bee attack me out of nowhere and sting me on the forehead. At least that jazzed me with adrenaline to power through the next couple miles! Curious what the night wildlife will be like tomorrow.

First time I’ve seen dedicated planting in a burn area. The purple flowered bushes in the background are poodle dog bush, which gives a rash like poison oak if you touch it. There were lots of spots in my first few miles where a crew had dug up a circle of dirt and planted a baby pine tree.

I was maybe 4 feet from this hawk on the trail before it flew up into this tree – I totally missed it as I was approaching, keeping my head down to avoid breathing bugs.