Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Nuclear Lake and a Seriously Huge Tree

As it approached lunch time today, we figured out that we were going to cross the road to Stormville, NY, and there was a deli within walking distance. We went there and the guys ordered sandwiches. I ended up with a chef's salad. Deli's are not the best place to eat if you're allergic to gluten. We met some section hikers who told us we would be getting to a lake in the afternoon that we would want to swim in. It was already getting hot, so we made note of this.

We got to the lake late in the afternoon, and joined Aquablaze and Shorts, who had already been in. Jaybird showed up also. When we were planning this hike, I dreamed of finding lakes like this along the way, and taking a swim, and this lake was just like I pictured. The only way to get to it was to hike, so we were the only ones here. The water was clear, and the perfect temperature. Since I swam with my Crocs on, I could float on my back, and it was rather humorous how high my feet would float. It was just a perfect stop for this hot day.

We hiked on, and decided we would stay at a certain shelter. It was getting late, and we had done a lot of miles, and since we had taken the long swim break, it was a little later than normal. I stopped to put on my head net because of the gnats, and told the guys I'd meet them at the shelter. The only problem is, I never saw the shelter and apparently kept walking past it. They waited at the shelter and soon figured out I had missed the turn.

In the meanwhile, I had arrived at the largest tree on the northern half of the trail, and was confused as to why I had not found the shelter, and also why they had passed up this amazing tree. I sat there and had a drink and pulled out the AT guide to try to figure out where they were, when they came up from behind. They explained to me that I had missed the shelter about a mile back. We decided to hike on and try to find another campsite. The only problem was, we didn't find a site for at least another 3 miles. No fun when you are already exhausted! It was all my fault though, so I couldn't really complain.



















- Steady and F100

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