The Mohican Outdoors Center gave me a great nights sleep, and when the sun woke me I packed and snuck out. I didn't want to wake the snoring sectioner. I stopped in for one last sandwich at the lodge, and then continued up the trail.
The first planned half of my day was beautiful, 7 miles of cool breezes and rockless trail. I quickly left the section I'd hiked before, and was back in the wilderness of new territory.
I stopped for a brief lunch, and almost immediately the trail changed on me again. The rocks came back, and with them the bugs. The last couple of miles before the shelter were torturous, and I couldn't wait to reach safety from my orbiting bloodsucking friends.
When I finally found the sign for my shelter, I had to scuttle down a half mile just to find my worst nightmare. The shelter was sitting right next to a massive stagnant pool of water, and the whole area was abuzz with mosquitos. I tried putting my gear down, but my hiking poles and pack were immediately enveloped by the beasts, so I thrashed around to reclaim my gear and sprinted back up that half mile. I hoped reaching the top the bugs would abate, but my exertion made me hot and sweaty, which just kept them on me.
My only option was to hike another 4 miles to town, where I'd be meeting my parents the next day. Wincing, cursing, and bitching my way across those last miles finally brought me to a road where I could collapse. Losing my tail of bugs was enough to raise my mood a bit, but then I had to walk another 2 miles to the nearest motel.
Checked-in, showered, and fed, I was finally feeling like a person again. I couldn't do another big day of hiking right after today, but thankfully I'd be saved from that fate. Tomorrow will be a well deserved zero with the parents. What more could I need after a day like today?
