Hike #29 - March 21, 2021

 Another sunrise hike. I park where I left off the day before. The goal today is a total of 16.6 km. 

I am all layered up. Leggings under my pants. A quick dry shirt, a quick dry hoodie, a fleece and a down vest. Mittens and toque. The ground is frozen again, but I know it's going to be mud before long. 

It's taking a bit to readjust to hiking on ground instead of snow/ice. The rocks make things more technical. There is a lot of dodging and weaving to make sure I'm placing my feet in the right spots. This isn't an issue when the rocks are under hard-packed snow and ice. I feel more confident wearing spikes and navigating ice than I do navigating rocky trails but I will eventually adjust back to this mode. 

The birds are out again and I hear an interesting call that I record and a friend later identifies it as a red-bellied woodpecker. I'm tempting to invest in binoculars, but they're just too expensive. 

There are some great trees in this section: this giant stump (there's no other big pieces of this tree nearby...it looks like it was just plunked down here), the 'tout est possible' graffiti tree (I've seen so many photos of this), and some interesting 'what is nature doing to this' trees. 

I don't know what it is, but just getting to the turn-around point feels like a SLOG. Maybe it's because I know I'll be hiking back in mud? I stop just short of the turn-around to strip off my leggings; of course someone comes along just as I'm about to drop my pants. 

I manage to bend a hiking pole, as it gets wedged in between some rocks, but my body keeps moving. I eventually find a bridge where I'm able to wedge the pole instead the slats and push in the opposite direction. It's not perfect but it's less obvious. I also manage to trip and fall down on my knees. I'm a mess. 

I decide to stop and remove more layers so that I'm down to my bra. If it weren't for the fact that my boobs are so huge, this wouldn't be an issue, but as I pass people, they refuse to make eye contact. Of course, my pale white belly is also a sight to behold. 

The sun feels great! It also feels great to return to the access trail where I've left my car, knowing that it's downhill from that point. It's been over five months since I got a blue blaze tattooed on my leg and decided to start this journey. 

The mud. Well, it's heavy. I would rather be wearing icers. 

I return to the mall to return the back and decided to upgrade to a 40 L. It seems ridiculously big but I like the lower zippered compartment and lots of exterior pockets. It will be able to accommodate my 3 L water bladder without issue. And it's got a good frame that should help out the issues with my back that have had me in absolute pain and finally started physio. WFH is the worst. 

starting near marker  7.4

ending near marker 15.7

total hiked today: 8.3 km x 2

total Bruce Trail hiked since starting: 199.4 km