The Sprout: Day 3

Good Morning from the Trail (The Three Amigos)

We had an early start today.  I think we got up around 5:30.  We were on the trail at 6:45.  Even though we got up at the same time as Ox, he is a lot better at getting his gear together and getting out of camp pretty quick. I know it will come with time but I can't wait until we can get into a quick routine.

Instead of making breakfast at camp we decided to hike a few miles down the trail then stop and make breakfast and watch the sunrise.  Maggie hasn't been too hungry so she just kept hiking.   Jeff and I on the other hand were ready for some breakfast!  My plan was to have some oatmeal and I added 2 packets of jelly and a little honey, it hit the spot!  I had a pop tart too and Jeff crushed his up and put it in his oatmeal, haha.  He said it was good. We were lucky because we stopped at this picnic area that had trash cans.  I was happy to get rid of the trash I was hauling around.

Baba Ganoush and Bubbles on the Trail

We did 13 miles today, well Jeff and I did 13 miles.  Maggie got lost and did about 16 miles!  Sometimes it's easy to feel like you might be going the wrong way on the trail.  Some areas of the trail are marked really well and sometimes, like today for instance, there were a few spots where it felt like maybe they forgot to put a blaze or two up.  I felt like maybe I was going the wrong way earlier too, but I kept going and eventually saw a white blaze.  One thing I'm noticing is there's a ton of time to think while you're on the trail.

AT Marker

We were three miles from the hut when we came across this amazing spring.  The trail crossed Ivy Spring and it was just too tempting not to dip our feet in for a few minutes. A guy we met earlier named Survivor was there dipping his feet in as well.  The water was really cold and crystal clear and it felt so good to take a 20 minute break and just relax. I rinsed my buff and shirt too.  Survivor told us his story and his reasons for hiking the trail. I left Maggie at the spring to continue to rest while I went ahead to get our water filtered and everything ready at camp.

Bubbles resting at Ivy Spring

We saw two more deer so a total four deer so far.  Maggie got pretty far ahead of us but we eventually found her at a turning point on the trail. I was happy to see her.  The three of us stopped to have lunch at a spot with an amazing view.  We sat on the edge of the mountain and had a bagel and pepperoni sandwich.  

A Delicious Lunch with a View!

Today I noticed we went through different terrains.  It was really cool to all of a sudden start walking through a grassy mountainside.  We went through rocky areas, grassy areas, and some parts had a lot of thick trees.  It will be really cool to see everything blooming.  There are going to be so many different colors!  

 

I love getting water from the springs.  It tastes so fresh and it's always ice cold.  There's just something rewarding about being thirsty and having to go get your water from the water source and filter it out.  

First fire on the trail!!

One last thing before I go to bed.  Jeff and I made a fire today at the hut!!!  I wanted to surprise Maggie with a fire and Jeff was all for the idea.  It didn't take us long as we just gathered some small dry sticks and some dry pine needles.  It felt so good to have a fire.  Six other people made their way to the hut throughout the day and everyone loved having a fire to sit around.

Heroes!!

I know there's probably more I wanted to write about but I'm getting too tired to think.  Tomorrow is another day, and we have 8 or 10 miles planned.  It's supposed to storm in the afternoon so we need to get an early start. I need to get some sleep.

Happy trails!

Love Life!!

Day:  3

Miles hiked:  13 (16 maggie)

Miles off trail to shelter:  0

Total Miles hiked on the trail:  34.2

Blisters:  0

Real Bears:   0

Deer: 4