Today's miles 11.5. AT miles 1528.8
Another very warm sunny day, but unlike yesterday the humidity was back and it was walk in a sauna day again right from the days start. We were packed and walking for just after 8am. The trail went through fields initially alongside the Housatonic River again. We crossed over the river and entered a lovely forest, but it was mosquito city again! The first couple of hours were unpleasant, we were constantly wafting our bandanas in front of us to keep the mosquitoes away. We had bug spray on but that didn't keep them at bay. They seem to like me more than Nigel, I have mosquito bites everywhere. The trail went uphill through the forest, quite steep in places over June Mountain and East Mountain. We were sweating buckets again in the heat but one bonus the mosquito attacks finally lessoned as we got to the higher elevations.
After about three hours we stopped at Tom Leonard shelter for a break and to get more water. Nigel changed t-shirts, his was totally wet through with sweat. From the shelter it was a couple of miles back downhill and then back uphill again. The uphill sections we took very slow in the heat. We find the heat and humidity very uncomfortable for walking so didn't get as far as we expected today. These high 80°F/30°C temperatures plus high humidity days, we decided, we should ideally be taking as rest days like we have done in the past on bad rain or snow days. Its the sort of weather just for chilling out in not hiking mountains. We stopped six miles earlier than planned at Mt Wilcox South Shelter around 3:30pm. We'll make up some extra miles tomorrow hopefully if its a bit cooler.
Just before 6pm the heavens opened and we had a big thunder and lightening storm and heavy rain which was forecast. If we'd have carried on walking as planned we'd have probably got caught out in the storms.
Not many photos today I was too busy wafting mosquitoes away or mopping my brow!
No comments:
Post a Comment