somebody up there doesn't want me to hike

as we entered the woods on our usual section of the AT, i looked at the green around me and thought lovely thoughts about hiking, and about this trail in particular. it's so vibrant, so beautiful, so full of life. we smiled at the tiny little frogs that crossed in front of us, gave a merry 'hello!' to our fellow hikers. of course, at that point, we hadn't ventured any further than we normally do on the path.

yesterday, we were attempting to reach a specific shelter, 3.7 miles into the trail. we thought we'd get to the shelter, enjoy a lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and then return. the weather forecast said it would be hot and a little humid, but the rain would hold off until 6:00.

an hour and a half into our hike, we were tired. cotton and jean are unforgiving fabrics in the heat, and our feet and ankles were swollen from navigating all the changes in terrain. the sky was also beginning to gray. and so, without actually reaching our destination (but probably 1/10 of a mile away from it), we decided to turn back. we trudged along, tired and grumpy. i was thinking on the way back, "i hate hiking. i don't know what ever drew me to hiking. i don't know what ever made me think that i'd be ready in three months to hike 100 miles of the AT." and then the unexpected happened. the skies opened up, and a torrential downpour soaked us in minutes. it was raining so hard that i had to take off my glasses, but of course i'm blind without them. the trail was under a good three or four inches of water, and we were completely drenched. we walked an hour in this rain to get back to the car. and now our car seats are soaked as well.

i'm currently drying out our hiking boots in front of a box fan.

no umbrellas, no ponchos, no rain-proof backpack, no quick-dry clothing. no brain. the rain started at 2:30, despite what the weather man had said. and really, we should have been more prepared, given that our weather station is rarely correct.

oh well. lessons learned. and very tired, achey muscles today.

but i'm still proud of myself for getting through it without crying or calling in the national guard via my soaking wet cell phone.

we made it. good cardboard hikers are we.