Today was a bit chilly. I loaded up on my layers only to sweat all morning long. Why didn't I just take the layers off one might ask. Sweating is never fun especially when your blood is moving and your body is attempting to rid itself of all the cheese I inhaled yesterday. The answer to this question is simple- BUGS!
Grace Meadows was the royal palace for bugs to live. My hand actually felt like I was cutting through a solid stick of butter. When I looked down, however, there wasn't a yellow grease covering my hand. Instead it was black from the swarm of bugs. Of course wearing the head net was pretty much essential. The one problem with the head net, which of course doesn't out weigh the positives of my $1.00 purchase is the fact that I can't really see. The alternative to not seeing so great wasn't much better. Instead it was worse. All I could concentrate on during the hour hike through the area was the idea that it would end. It didn't end for 4 miles!
Finally after 2 hours of back handing bugs and running away from a creature no bigger than a grain of rice I found relief. Replay had stopped to jump in Dorothy Lake. She promised that all the ill will that I had towards Mother Nature and her evil span...aka the bugs...would vanish the moment I submerged my head under the icy water. Knowing that she was correct I stripped down and jumped in quickly. It was a miracle! I was suddenly cured of all the senseless itching and head twitching that I had to pretend was normal just 15 minutes ago.
After the oh so needed bug break we both started off again towards Dorothy's Pass. It was almost as if the bugs could sense our return. Within minutes we were again being attacked by these minute creatures who bite was worse than a regular size insect. Who would've thought!
The bug problem became much worse as the day dragged on for both of us. Now that we had been hiking for about a month our stomachs and bodies simply needed more food than what we were caring. All afternoon I dreamt about breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I dreamed of steaks, chicken, and pork all of which are not my most favorite foods. I also thought about what food I would eat on my last day on Earth. Looking back I can't believe I complained so much about how hungry I was!
I guess Replay could sense my discomfort because she slowed her pace and began searching for a snack and nap spot. When we finally found one I over indulged in my bear vault. I munched on the lunch I had planned for tomorrow as well as breakfast for the next morning. During the last couple days of hiking, especially before town, our bodies start to reject us. It seems that the body just needs more fuel than what was originally thought. Due to our combined hunger we consulted a map to really figure out the details of tomorrow's hike. How long would it take to get anywhere and what happens if it snows?
It didn't take long to decide that tomorrow was our trip into Bridgeport! We were going to camp as close to the pass as possible and each help one another out when it came to the extreme hunger in the morning. Thankfully the last couple of miles to our camp for the night was bug free and I jumped for joy knowing that Bridgeport, aka civilization, was only a couple miles up the road. Of course I did dream of food all day and all night. I don't think I've ever been so hungry in my life. I simply had nothing in my pack to feed the muscles in my legs! It was all TRASH!
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