After yesterdays long and hard day I decided today I would try to sleep in and recover before I did my push. I got out at 10 AM to start my seemingly endless up and down ridge lines. I held a pretty steady pace and focused on not overdoing it though I feel remarkably good. I think elevating my feet last night really helped my recovery AND I think my body is starting to adapt. On the first ridge I came across a small pond maybe 40' across and pitch black with decaying leaves. I went to take a peek into the water and look for what was swimming around it was packed with tadpoles for as far as I could see.
I am not talking about a hundreds but more like thousands of tadpoles the made square yards of the pond flutter when my shadow passed over. Being a nut about amphibians I was thought this was awesome. A little later up the trail I came across a memorial for Audie Murphy. From what I gather he was the most decorated
solider in WW II along with making a name for himself in western movies. As I was taking pictures of his mem
orial my camera battery died so no more pictures until I can get a new one. The next ridge line over the mountain was much more rugged and dry and I saw numerous lizards, small tan colored, sunning themselves until I scared them off. The limestone that made up the ridge line became really steep until it was nearly vertical for miles. It was like going over the back of a stegosaurus going back and forth between large flat limestone up thrusts. This culminated with Dragon's Tooth, the largest of these rising at least 30 feet above the r
est of the ridge and even over the top the trees. The views afforded were clear and breathtaking showing the two lane highways and rural pastures below. The descent from that point was down the cliff face and was nearly straight down leaping from rocky foot hold to rocky foot hold. At the bottom I bounced up and down 100' feet a time but more so down towards the base of the next ridge where my shelter for tonight was. At this point due the late start I was chasing sunset and the endless up and down nature of the ridge really was a pain. Finally near dark I got to the pass where I started back up hill to my shelter for the night. I worried the weekenders may have filed the shelter but when I arrived it was empty. I realized most weekenders don't hike Sunday nights. It was a very new and nice shelter. In the rafters there is a birds nest. I can see the birds tail feathers sticking out from the next above my head. The water source is sketchy looking and though I was
thirsty I am trying to drink very little from it. I will try to hold out for the next water a mile up the trail.
After yesterdays long and hard day I decided today I would try to sleep in and recover before I did my push. I got out at 10 AM to start my seemingly endless up and down ridge lines. I held a pretty steady pace and focused on not overdoing it though I feel remarkably good. I think elevating my feet last night really helped my recovery AND I think my body is starting to adapt. On the first ridge I came across a small pond maybe 40' across and pitch black with decaying leaves. I went to take a peek into the water and look for what was swimming around it was packed with tadpoles for as far as I could see. 
I am not talking about a hundreds but more like thousands of tadpoles the made square yards of the pond flutter when my shadow passed over. Being a nut about amphibians I was thought this was awesome. A little later up the trail I came across a memorial for Audie Murphy. From what I gather he was the most decorated solider in WW II along with making a name for himself in western movies. As I was taking pictures of his mem
orial my camera battery died so no more pictures until I can get a new one. The next ridge line over the mountain was much more rugged and dry and I saw numerous lizards, small tan colored, sunning themselves until I scared them off. The limestone that made up the ridge line became really steep until it was nearly vertical for miles. It was like going over the back of a stegosaurus going back and forth between large flat limestone up thrusts. This culminated with Dragon's Tooth, the largest of these rising at least 30 feet above the r
est of the ridge and even over the top the trees. The views afforded were clear and breathtaking showing the two lane highways and rural pastures below. The descent from that point was down the cliff face and was nearly straight down leaping from rocky foot hold to rocky foot hold. At the bottom I bounced up and down 100' feet a time but more so down towards the base of the next ridge where my shelter for tonight was. At this point due the late start I was chasing sunset and the endless up and down nature of the ridge really was a pain. Finally near dark I got to the pass where I started back up hill to my shelter for the night. I worried the weekenders may have filed the shelter but when I arrived it was empty. I realized most weekenders don't hike Sunday nights. It was a very new and nice shelter. In the rafters there is a birds nest. I can see the birds tail feathers sticking out from the next above my head. The water source is sketchy looking and though I was thirsty I am trying to drink very little from it. I will try to hold out for the next water a mile up the trail.
1 comment:
"... made square yards of the pond flutter when my shadow passed over." That's a line to remember; one of the most visually exciting descriptions of your journey so far. I've been reading your blog off and on all day today ... find myself wishing you luck, although I know you finish just fine.
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