I made a big mistake when we got to camp last night. Everyone was tired after an 18 mile day. Sassy set me up. She said “I need a shorter day tomorrow!” Like an idiot, I said it’s only going to be 14-15 miles. Immediately, all three women started in that that was too long. I saw Bear knowingly shaking his head. You’ve got to know when to shut up, Padewan.
The only way the 18 mile day makes sense at this point in the hike, is if we get close enough to Olallie Resort that we can nearo into the camp before lunch so we can get a long recovery time. Hiking 2-10 mile days doesn’t give you as much recovery time as a 15 mile day followed by a 4 mile day. A 4 mile day doesn’t tax your body at all which actually gives us a 36 hour recovery period. Plus, I don’t want to spend money to stay at a “resort” that doesn’t have electricity or showers if I’m only going to be there to sleep for the night. I’ve created a political situation which I need a master manipulator to correct. It’s time for Bear to shine.
When hiking, it’s customary to put the weakest link out front. As usual, I assumed my position at the front of the line. We had left camp without a lot of water with the intention of stopping in 2 miles to fill up. Bear took me under his arm and said “I’ll correct the mess you made last night. I know how to deal with weak-willed minds. BTW, this has nothing to do with Sassy. Here’s what we’ll do. We’ll stop for a snack in another 3 miles. After that, we’ll push on another 5 miles to stop for lunch at the spot the women want to stop at for the night. When they see it’s only 2, or even as late as 3, they’ll be willing to move on. We’ll get the 15 we want today.”
I was as good as is possible for me. I kept my mouth shut (an extremely difficult task for me…and the source of most of my problems in life). Bear and I went to get water for everyone when we stopped. We picked the pace up just bit. The three blind mice followed along to their obliviousness.
Sassy was the first to come around. Even before we made the 5 mile spot for lunch, she came up front with Bear and me and said she thought we should go for 15 so we can nearo in tomorrow. At lunch, I said I think we should stick to BUNNY’s original plan and go on to Jude Lake. Bunny and I talked a bit. She admitted she was feeling better than she thought she would be. It was now 4-1.
Of the next 5 miles, only the first 2 were slightly uphill then we had 3 easy downhill miles. Double D pretended like she wasn’t aware of what was going on. We all avoided talking about where we were going to stop for the day. At the spot the gals had thought as a bailout spot for the day at 10 miles in, the mosquitoes were a bit annoying. I told Sassy to make a big deal about the mosquitoes when she walked into camp. She complied like a champ and attracted her own personal swarm. It was amazing to see. Bear had no mosquitoes around him. Bunny and I had a few. Sassy must have had a hundred. She was a mosquito magnet.
Double D played her hand as we set down to eat. “I hope the mosquitoes aren’t as bad at the lake you want to go to.” None of us made eye contact with anyone. Bear finally said “It is only 3. We could get in well before 6 and have an easy day tomorrow.” Double D was not happy. I’m sure her big toe was hurting. She just threw her pack on and said she hoped we made it before the rain started and took off.
Greg, DD’s husband, had inadvertently become a bad guy today. About 3 days ago, he sent us a text that it was going to rain on us today. Naturally, everyone turned on the messenger when it started to drizzle today. Add in the fact that Double D was a bit upset about getting “tricked” into putting in an extra 5 miles more than she wanted and now she was out front of the group. Even though it wasn’t her fault about nearly getting lost last week, her sense of direction is not exactly stellar. We were a bit concerned with her being out of sight.
Bunny and I put our packs on and started after her. It was cold and threatening rain, so we stopped to put our rain jackets back on giving DD a bigger lead. I remained calm, but I was worried. We had said to regroup at the next road crossing. In about 10 minutes, we caught up to DD waiting in the trail. She had wanted to keep walking, but didn’t want to risk getting separated on the wrong trail. I was relieved.
She had admitted defeat and was now on board with the extra 5 miles. We regrouped at the road as planned. DD was probably the most tired of all of us, but she’s also the most stubborn (her strongest point, according to her husband), so she pushed on without complaint. With about 3 miles to go, she fell again.
This time, it may have had less to do with tiredness and needing the adrenaline death rush that she normally goes for, than it had to do with getting slightly distracted and letting a hiking pole get between her feet. By the time we made it back to her, she was already up and walking. We decided to take a short break anyway. We were at the high point of the last 5, so it was a reward break.
Everyone was ready to make it to camp. Mileages vary day by day, but generally, if you are hiking upper teen miles, once you get past 10 miles, you tend to pick up speed. When you get below 5 miles, there’s a buzz and a feeling that you’re going to make it. When you get below 3, the adrenaline kicks in with a feeling of invincibility. Then you get to 1 mile and hit a block wall. The last mile is always the longest of the day.
Bear and Sassy stopped at a spring on the trail to fill up. The rest of us didn’t want to carry the extra weight an extra 0.7 mile, so we continued on. Pretty soon, I heard a thump behind me and heard “Pam down!” I needed more info than that, both of them have a tendency to fall. This time it was Bunny. She had been giving DD words of caution because we were walking across a bunch of bark on the trail. She knew DD was tired. Instead, Bunny took the fall.
Bear and Sassy caught back up just as we made it to the bridge across the Lake Jude outlet. We turned towards the campsite and were rewarded with the best site so far: a spot on the shore of the lake with a central fire pit and flat spots for 3 tents. Even better was a huge boulder in the middle of the site that was ideal for sitting on or using as a table.
We set up all the tents. This was the best setup DD has had the entire time. We have slowly been getting better each time. Last night, we had gotten a pretty decent set up. The secret seems to be properly folding up the tent after each use and then setting the corners first. It sounds simple enough, but it takes practice with a diamond shaped tent. Tonight, DD and Bunny set it up perfectly. Dancing Dog’s training is complete.
We all ate supper together and were in our tents by 8:15. Just as a point of reference, the sun doesn’t set here until 9:30. I think the 48 miles we’ve covered in the last 3 days is catching up with us.
EFG