AT Day 25 – A walk in the woods

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10th May

28.3 miles

Bushcamp (426.6) to Bushcamp (454.9)

Shogun and I started our day with a walk in the woods. The woodpeckers were doing there thing and so were many other songbirds. A lone toad sat by the edge of the trail as it followed a dammed lake.

We had a bit of a climb in the morning till the trail followed a set of rolling ridgelines. The trees were less dense up here and the views extensive. It was hard to take any photos that did justice to either the views or the trail. It was a pleasant day for a walk in the woods.

Shogun and I were making great time. Out hiking legs are getting used to their job. We are both at the stage where 20 miles of hiking is done with no pain or suffering, yes we are tired but not so tired that we can’t repeat the distance the next day.

Around the 20 mile mark we found ourselves hiking through a manicured farmers field. One paddock had a wide gravel trail with a mowed section of lawn on either side. Nearby were old stockyards, barns and a broken down truck. The second paddock had close cropped grass, piles of liquid cow dung and the smell of a dairy. If you’ve been to a working dairy farm you’ll know the smell. Think liquid cow dung.

The trail was devoid of hikers today. I suspect there were some that were allergic to rain and stayed in town yesterday, rather than hike. I chose not to go to that town. We saw maybe 6 hikers all day, the lowest number since day 1.

Shogun and I have a preference for the wilderness experience as opposed to the social experience of camping at mouse infested shelters so we like wild camping. After hiking way too many miles we filled our water bottles and hiked in in search of a site. Shogun uses a hammock so can camp almost anywhere. I need a small flat section of ground. Due to the high use on this trail I only want to camp in a place that has been cleared by a previous hiker. It would be too easy to turn the whole trail into a campsite. 

With our lead heavy legs there were no sites. We walked a mile or two in search of a site. We set up in the first flat site to find poison oak growing all around the cleated site. As the sunset I ate my dinner, careful not to touch the uncleared sections of the campsite. I guess I’ll find out soon if I’m allergic to poison oak.

[edit- for some reason I can’t add titles to the photos. :(]


Next : Day 26-27 – Into Damascus, Virginia


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About the Author:
Brad is an Australian who has completed the hiking Triple Crown after he hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail and Appalachian Trail. He has hiked on every continent (except Antarctica) and has cycled from Alaska to Ecuador. He is an expert on outdoor gear currently living in Chile.

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4 thoughts on “AT Day 25 – A walk in the woods”

    • Yes, I’m thinking mid August but I’m taking lots of time off to visit Washington DC and New York City. Can’t come to this part of the world and miss out on visiting them.

      Reply

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