We went 10.7 miles and had a great day. It was tough but it was still a good day. Last night we stayed at the Redington Stream Campsite. When we got there we noticed a lot of people camping and later realized there was a group of French Canadian girls from a camp staying there. I love seeing young people out on the trail but we didn't have the best experience with this group. They got up at 1:30 and started packing loudly and shining their lights everywhere! It felt like they were shining right at our tents. Later in the day we heard they were going up Saddleback Mountain to see the sunrise. I normally don't complain about young people being on the trail but I think they needed to be a little more respectful of other hikers trying to sleep! I think they probably should've stayed somewhere else on the trail where there were not a lot of hikers who were trying to sleep to get rest. They were also signing really loud as a group right before bed. That was kind of annoying but they weren't up too late so it didn't really bother us, the wake up call at 1:30 was a little much though. I couldn't really fall back to sleep after that. I laid there trying to sleep but eventually had to get up to pee.
We ended up getting up at 5:00, packing up, and heading out. It was nice and cool in the morning which was perfect for climbing up Saddleback Junior. It warmed up later in the day and got a little humid. I was able to fish in Orbeton stream. There were a few deep spots which were perfect for brook trout. I almost had a couple but they were on to me and knew what I was doing! I was just happy for an opportunity to get the fishing pole out!
We were in the area where the hiker Inchworm went missing a couple years ago. She got off trail to pee and became lost. She was only a mile off trail but rescue teams were unable to find her. It made me think of how dangerous the woods can be here and how careful you have to be. The best thing to do is not stray too far from the trail to pee. Also, if you get hurt to just set up camp and stay where you are. That's your best chance at getting found. The forest is so rough and the terrain is so wild that it would be nearly impossible for anyone to find you if you got of trail. I feel bad for her and her family. It's a terrible story but one that must be heard to prevent future problems.
We're staying at Spaulding Mountain Lean-to tonight and were actually with the group of boys from the same camp as the French-Canadian girls. They seem to be a lot more quiet and said they weren't getting up to catch a sunrise in the morning so everything should be fine! At least I should sleep good tonight, haha. We're getting up early, making breakfast, and trying to get a good start on our hike. Not sure how far we're going tomorrow and it’s supposed to be a difficult day. We start off with Spaulding Mountain and then have to go over South Crocker Mountain and North Crocker Mountain.
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| White blazes down the trail |
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| Saddleback Junior |
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| Moose Tracks (and not the ice cream kind!) |
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| Poplar Ridge |
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| Moss on a boulder |
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| Stream and pond |
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| Bubbles coming up the trail |
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| Boardwalk on the trial today with a tree cut |
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| "Bridge" over the trail today |
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| Lone Mountain |
Day: 136
Miles hiked: 10.7
Total Miles hiked on the trail: 1126.1
Bears: 0
Bluegill: 2
Butterflies: 8
Chipmunks: 3
Cows: 24
Crawfish: 1
Deer: 20
Donkeys: 2
Grouse: 1
Horses: 15
Hummingbird: 1
Inchworm: 1
Really Big Dog: 1
Mice: 2
Nest of bugs: 2
Newts: 2
Owl: 1
Rabbit: 1
Skunk: 1
Snail: 1
Snake: 2
Squirrels: 11
Toads: 3
Trout: 2
Turkeys: 4
Turtles: 107
Vultures: 6
Woodpecker: 1
