A nice short point to point with some rolling hills, shelters, and logging areas.
Total Miles: 25
Total Days: 2
This was by far my most miserable night on trail. I was very cold. The temps were down to 30, which, with my 30 degree bag, camp pad, bag liner, puffy, and hat, should have been manageable. When I got home I immediately upgraded my bag and camp pad and have not been cold since.
Nock and I decided to get in our first hike of the season. We picked this route due to location. North was still snow covered and it was still within a two and a half hour drive for me. On Day 2 we happened upon a 50k. We stopped for a break at a waystation and lingered while we watched the runners grab brownies, fruit, candy, chips, and drinks. We made a dehydrated meal and ate it while we longingly stared at the goodies. By the time we left they were getting ready to pack up and they offered us whatever we wanted! We gratefully grabbed the calories and gobbled them as we trekked away.
Highlights: The varied terrain is nice on this trek. We had a few hills, walked through logging areas, spent hours in the woods, but also time heading through fields. We had a nice shelter area for camping with a great firepit. We did not see much wildlife, but heard lots of birds.
Lowlights: It was far more crowded than we are used to. The 50k race did not help with that, but the runners were fun to watch. There was also a reroute due to tornado damage and this took us through a pretty dismal mud walk. As it was early spring, nothing was blooming yet so it looked like fall. You could also hear cars through most of the hike as roads were never that far away.
Tips: The Parnell Shelter is very nice. It is a little removed from the trail and has a nice bench overlook and access to a privy. It also has a lovely firepit!
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