Step, step, slide. Step, step, climb. Slowly we push on towards camp. The rain is falling lightly now, perhaps I can remove the shell. The skies look brighter, maybe this will end. Then again does it really matter? We're miles in to a National Forest - it's not like we can leave.
After a while we all adapted to the occasional slide. You put your foot down and it just jets out from under you for 6 to 8 inches. You stab your poles and dance a little jig and recover, until after a while these little moments are part of your movement. You even miss the sliding when you hit dry ground, momentarily surprised that you are stable.
The rain started when we left the first camp on Saturday morning and continued off and on for the remainder of the day and well into the night. It really did not dampen our spirits, though. We hiked and talked and made quite the day of it, though we all were glad to reach our next camp and perform our own rituals to dry off and hunker down.
A few people disappeared into tents, not to be seen until the next morning. Quite a feat I must say, given that we arrived in camp around 2:30 pm. Not much lingering over the sights and few photo ops. Just a day to push on and so we did, getting to camp quite a bit sooner than I envisioned. Now this is why I love camping in groups: one couple had a tarp tent. They just strung up that tarp, invited the remainder of us to join them and we were snug tucked away out of the rain where we all talked, stretched, cooked and shared a fun time together.
We all fought off hypothermia at some point. A few folks squirreled away into tents to enjoy both some sleeping bag warmth and the sheer pleasure of stretching out flat for a spell. Others started in with hot drinks or even full meals. My moment came when I peeled off the wet t-shirt and replaced it with a dry fleece and my shell. The shivering stopped and I felt like a new man! Getting wet on a chilly day can be overwhelming and the last thing you want in this situation is to get chilled beyond easy recovery. I had a dry base layer tucked away for last resort, preferably to have for sleeping. Never needed it ... my fleece did the trick.
What situation? We were hiking the 15 miles loop in Wildcat Hollow, part of Wayne National Forest in Southeast Ohio. 9 people set out Friday night to camp overnight at the trailhead with a decent Saturday start in mind. Hike about half, camp Saturday night in the woods, and hike out Sunday. I am pleased to report that 9 people left the trail on Sunday. At least I hope so, we did get a faction of 3 come Sunday morning that decided to hike out fast using some of the roads. They missed the best part of the hike, but I was glad for the time we had together and thoroughly enjoyed their company on Saturday.
We huddled, we dripped, we complained a little ... but we survived, and I might add we did do in great style. Turns out the rain was really not the big story of the weekend. There are two other posts coming that pretty much epitomize the hiking experience.
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