CDT day 1- I was having a great night sleep until about 1:30am when I heard an animal sound, something between a cat and a mouse. Turns out it was bats and I was sleeping right in the middle of their home. This makeshift shelter at Goat Haunt was actually a Batcave and I could see the rodents with wings in one corner and they were making all kinds of noise with occasional swoops down towards me. I tried to tune it out and sleep for a while but once I figured this was a lost cause I grabbed my sleeping pad, katabatic quilt and walked down to sleep under the covered area near the dock. The bats won and kicked me out. At 5am one of the other hikers was down near me to use the facilities so I figured sleeping at that point was a lost cause so I packed up and began my first full day on this trail. Smartly, I put on my rain pants and began down the brush filled trail. It wasn’t just brushy, it was extremely wet too. I was soaked very quickly and when I stopped to sort out and change some gear a train of mules came up on me led by a man on a horse. I am not very comfortable around horses so this was going to be interesting. In the end I led the train as they followed my hiking footprints and had a good quality conversation with the man on the horse for over an hour. If anything it appeased my fear of horses. I climbed up near Aher peak and was greated with the greenest scenery I have every seen. Green meadows, flowers, grass all accentuated by a blue sky. It was incredible. As I neared Granite Chalet the crowds increased and my solitude was gone. I went over Swiftcurrent pass and dropped to Many Glacier in the company of countless day hikers. Tonight I will camp in the park campground and hope I am done dealing with bats. There is nothing quite like shooing away a blind animal.
#thruhikingtriplecrown #hikingtriplecrown #cdt #triplecrownbackpackinggearlist #howtogothruhiking #glaciernationalpark #calendaryeartriplecrown #backpacking #backpackingthepacificcresttrail #pacificcresttrail #whatisthetriplecrownofbackpacking #bookaboutthehikingtriplecrown #thruhikingtheat #appalachiantrail #thruhikingthepacificcresttrail #backpackingcalendaryeartriplecrown #continentaldividetrail #backpackingtriplecrown #howtothruhikethepct #whatisazerodaythruhiking #thruhikingtheCDT #manyglacier #gearlist #jeffgarmire #freeoutside #pacificcresttrailblog #howmanytriplecrownersarethere #thruhikingthepct #pct #hikingtheatinthewinter #pacificcresttrailthruhiking #whatisthecalendaryeartriplecrown #calendartriplecrown #triplecrown #hiking #whatisazeroday #thruhiking #triplecrowninoneyear #whatisthruhiking