We finished up the hiking trip, and I'm glad to report that not only did I survive, but I loved it! I had some serious concerns going in - HOW am I going to be comfortable pooping in the woods, am I strong enough to hike with a pack, how will my knee hold up, what if I get sick or hurt, what about bears? We got there on Sunday and my pack felt ridiculously heavy. I was excited though, so the day started off well. After some adjustments on my pack, I finally shifted the weight onto my hips appropriately, and the pack was much easier to carry.
Despite covering myself in strong bug spray, I could both see and feel the mosquitos. They were attracted to me and I had a constant swarm. I'm scratching as we speak; my entire body is covered in bites. The park was separated into numbered camp sites and our camp site was on the other side of the park from where we parked, so we had awhile to walk. It started raining, and I was glad I chose to purchase a rain jacket before this trip. I debated on whether or not it was a necessity, but I sure was glad to have it when the downpour hit. The rain slowed us down a bit. It made parts of the trails incredibly muddy, and it was hard to see at times while we hiked. The worst part about it, though, was the number of slugs that emerged. At one point there was a tree that had fallen over the trail. There was no way around so I had to climb over. The weight of my pack pushed me forward as I climbed and when I grabbed the tree I squished a slug between my fingers. That is, to date, the most disgusting sensation I have ever felt in my life, and it was a struggle not to throw an absolute freak-out fit. The rain also made the branches really slippery and as I was hiking a thick branch raked itself down my ankle. The pain was pretty intense for a few seconds, and then it bled all over my sock and into my shoe. There was no point in trying to clean it and put a bandage on because my ankle was so wet from the rain, so I continued to hike and eventually the pain subsided. The sun was definitely setting by the time we made it to camp, so we rushed to get the tent up. We hadn't needed to eat lunch that day so rather than cooking we opted to have tortillas with peanut butter and Nutella for supper. We ate away from our campsite quickly, threw everything into the bearsack, and then Dan hung it from a tree far away. We knew there were black bears in the park, and there were signs everywhere that food needed to be hung away from camp. After a quick wipe down with baby wipes we changed and curled up for the night. I thought I would be exhausted enough to sleep, but not so much. My adrenaline was in overdrive, and I was absolutely afraid of the forest around us. I couldn't get to sleep and I heard every little noise near the tent. There were mice everywhere, so I could see their shadows, and at some point I heard something walking around the tent. I knew it was smaller so I assume it was a raccoon but I couldn't bring myself to look out and see. Somewhere around midnight, maybe, I needed to go to the bathroom, and I realized Dan was still laying there awake, too. I threw on flipflops and asked him to listen for me (seriously, guys, I was so scared!) and I didn't venture too far from the tent. I ended up peeing all over my foot and flip flop, which was unfortunate for Dan because I told him just as he stuck his foot in it to go to the bathroom, too. Apparently, peeing in the woods is an acquired skill. I was pretty good by the end of the trip though! I did end up falling asleep eventually and slept on and off through the rest of the night. It was by no means good sleep though, and I was definitely still tired the next morning.
The second day was definitely the toughest physically, but also had the most rewarding sights! We climbed what felt like a million stairs, I was more ravenous than I have ever been in my life, and we saw squirrels, a million frogs and toads, and a snake. We got to see cascades and we also hit a few overlooks that captured the forest and Lake Superior as well. Sometimes it felt like I couldn't hike one mile more, but then something beautiful made it absolutely worth it. I felt my knee a little more this day, but the compression sleeve I wore definitely helped support it. I think that will be key on future hikes. It also helped minimize the swelling, which I've been dealing with quite a bit lately regardless of activity.
Our food was pretty simple, and I tried to keep it light. We had oatmeal packs for breakfast that I made in advance, and I added dried fruit, chia seeds, and hemp seeds. We also had instant coffee packs. For lunch we brought tortillas and the individual serving packs of Justin's peanut butter and chocolate hazelnut spread. I also brought date cookies and fruit roll-ups for that meal. For dinner, one night I packed Mac and cheese and bite sized pieces of salami and the other night a quinoa meal with Epic meat bars. For snacks we had Cliff Bars, Lara Bars, dried fruit and cashews. We didn't eat all of our food but we did need to snack often so I'm glad we had easy snack options available. At one point, I started getting incredibly irritable and tired, and when we stopped I realized I just needed to eat. I scarfed down figs and mangos and immediately felt better, and then we made lunch and I was like a new person. I definitely underestimated the amount of food I thought I would consume, and the bars I brought "just in case" were all consumed. Next time I think I will make smaller snack packs that are easier to carry in the front pockets of our backpack, and I think I will include something fun like peanut M&Ms, or some Newman O's (Oreo's healthier cousin). But this was a good practice run, and I feel like I packed pretty well.
I hoped I would like it, and I'm glad I did. It's such a fun way to workout, and I love the amazing views. I can't wait to head out again!
