I got back on the trail at 2:30pm yesterday. Joyce brought me back, but had a lot of appointments, so I waited for her in the Hampton Inn lobby. My options were to either hitch in the sun, or wait inside with A/C and power outlets. My choice was predictable.
I was confident that I could pump out 15.5 miles without much trouble, but as I was immediately greeted by a trail blanketed in all manner of stone, my confidence wavered. I was fighting the clock, racing to get to shelter before it got dark. Rocks don't help with speed.. or anything else, save trail erosion.
I was upbeat for the first 5 miles. It was challenging, but interesting as well. I passed a few section hiking families, most already settled into their campsites. It was at the end of this 5 mile stretch that I found a water source to refill at. I did so slovenly, not realizing that this would be the last source of water before Port Clinton. Besides the sweating and bugs, the heat also provides an additional hurdle: dry springs. That would be a 20 mile stretch with noting to whet my whistle, but thankfully it was cool enough that I didn't have a big problem on my hands.
The second 5 mile stretch was mostly uneventful, but lead directly into the sun setting. I didn't have time to relax, so I kept going into my final 5 mile stretch for the day. The sun was just going down, and depending on the shape of the ridge line beside me, I was walking where the sun was continually rising and setting for about an hour. It made for an interesting view, but it was fully set by my last couple miles. I was also worn out by then. The terrain had nerfed my pace, but it increased my exhaustion. Balancing from sharp rock to sharp rock for hours at a fast clip can really take it out of you.
There was still enough light to see by when I arrived at the shelter at 8:00pm. I was met by a NoBo section hiker. He plans to do the whole trail in stages over an 8 year period, and he's going up to Maine after he finishes PA. More power to him. He passed out early, as I quickly unpacked my bedroll, and stuffed down a quick dinner. It was a nice shelter to bunk down in, and the cicadas sang me to sleep.
This morning I slept in, lazily going about my morning rituals before leaving at 11am. It was 10 miles to Port Clinton, and I had only a half liter of water remaining. Today's hike was a little mundane, as my interest in the challenging terrain waned. I entertained myself with a podcast of This American Life, and then some music. I kept that up until the last mile before town, which was a dangerously steep descent down loose rocks. At times I had to sit down on my ass to drop to the step below. This exertion drained the last of my water, but I was close enough to town to taste soda, so kept moving.
Once in Port Clinton, the trail dumps you at a rail station and you just have to find your way out. A few blazes may have helped my aimless meanderings. After looking lost for a while, I remembered that we live in a technological age and pulled out my phone. This lead me to the Port Clinton Hotel, where I stopped for a prolonged lunch and soda at the bar (my kind isn't welcome in the dining room). After lunch I continued off the trail to find the town pavilion. They allow hikers to sleep in the pavilion for free, and after the rocky mess I just descended I decided that was the way to go. The place is very large, and sits next to a small privy and river. It seems that all the heavy drinking hikers are making this their home for the evening. That's fine by me, so long as they don't keep me up. One of them has a bit of a reputation for being loud and obnoxious when drunk. That's what Tapeworn and Shenanigans informed Mr. Fantastic and me back in the day, but we'll see what tonight holds. Just in case, I set my tent up in the pavilion, so I can be out of sight and out of mind. Though that's also because I want to sleep sans pants. I have some weepy wounds on my hips from pack friction that I'd like to dry out. Yes, if you were wondering, I am going to end today's blog on that note.
