-5°C (23°F) overnight. I knew it would be cold so I slept with my water filter in my sleeping bag to keep it from freezing. If it freezes it is destroyed.
Had frozen water lines on the hydration system. Bladder also had ice in it too.
The ground froze enough to make hoarfrost!
Crossed the Maryland - Pennsylvania border. Makes me wonder where the West Virginia - Maryland border.
Clear and still all day, but cold.
A guy walking the opposite direction with no pack stopped me and asked if I had seen a big bird.
"An emu?" I asked.
"Yeah, it got out a few days ago".
So I told him Steven had seen it near the border the other day, unfortunately I had not.
Leapfrogged with Otter and newly named Unexpected. Unexpected saw the emu!
The only wildlife I saw today were squirrels and a skunk.
Made it to Rocky Mountain Shelters guarded by some nice gnomes.
Water in an unappetizing pit. Had to make due with the 0.7L I brought with me.
Generally better hiking today due to temperatures being up. It was 10°C warmer than previous days once the sun was out.
Spent some time working on logistics for the next few days. I will need some food and probably fuel by Fri/Sat and a shower wouldn't hurt. Between the weather (next two days look rainy) and the distances there aren't any obvious winners yet. Lets see how tomorrow goes.
Made pasta for dinner using the my dehydrated sauce.
The olive oil was cold enough that it congealed, but easily shaken loose.
Really nice bear box here. These are very common in this area. A metal bin is easier to use than bear cables or bear poles.
Feet are done for the day. Starting to see some small blisters on inside of left big toe. Could not keep moleskin on it, will try another configuration. I wonder if the shoes are too big for me, my foot can move around a bit left to right. But the length seems right!
Having mixed thoughts about the trip. I miss my people. Meeting new folks is fun but there are also bad apples and I don't love making small talk with them. I'm sure once I meet some more regular hikers things will change a bit.
I think the cold probably impacted my fun the first two days. Having to get directly in bed after dinner is lame and the bag is too small to read or write in. Oh well, now we trade cold for rain after a nice day.