We have been so busy lately that we have not done much hiking. So, we decided to start off slow and build up to real hikes...or so I thought. Our first hike was 3 miles and in the cool weather it was a breeze. Our next hike was 4 miles, still not so bad. Last night we hike 5 miles and still no problems. A couple laps around the campground after supper and we still felt good enough for a night walk. So, this morning Mark grabbed a couple of bottle waters , snack bars and almonds. That should have been a warning to me, but I'm kind of slow some times. He said that we were going to go on a 5 or 6 mile hike.
This morning was very cold, temperatures, in the 30's , so I put on appx. 30 lbs of clothes. First a tee shirt and long sleeve shirt, then a fleece jacket and a windbreaker and of course the orange vest so that we do not get shot by deer hunters. My pants were lined and I put on a scarf and a hooded scarf and a wool hat, very thick socks and walking shoe. Mark handed me my walking stick and I was ready for our hike. I had water and snack in one pocket and phone and tissue in the other pocket. We both have colds which makes breathing difficult. The fresh air will do us good...right?
The first few miles were great. We walked and talked and enjoyed all of the natural beauty that surrounded us. Some times we walked side by side and other times the trail was narrow so we walked single file. Some where between mile four and five, Mark called me pokey. He said that I was slowing down. I told him that I was getting tired and to go ahead of me, just don't get out of sight. When we were getting close to five or six miles, Mark casually said that we had four more miles to go. WHAT ? I did not sign up for eight to ten miles.
We stopped and I started taking off layers of clothes. Even though it was still cold out here, my body was getting hot and I was sweating under all these clothes. Now, when you take off clothes in the woods with out a back pack, you have to tie them to you waist. We started walking again, all up hill...I can not figure out how we always go up hill. I am officially tired by now and I say so. Big mistake, now Mark has his tablet out looking for short cuts back to camp. We are in a 50,000 acre forest. How is it that we just walked out of the park and into a residential area. We find a dirt road and get back on the path and I am hoping we are going the right way. I have tissue in my pocket, but I can not take a potty break because of all of the hunters in these woods. I have only seen two but I know they are out here and can see us.
Mark some times pushes us just past my point of endurance, but when it is over I am glad that we did it. My fearless leader finally found our way home. But for the last few miles back to our camp site, I was not a happy camper.
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