Today needed to be a big day. I planned to meet my Aunt tomorrow afternoon and I had 78 miles to go. My body felt good and I was excited for the challenge. I took my first steps at 5:45am in the crisp morning. The sun was up but the mosquitos weren’t yet. The morning is the most peaceful and rewarding time to hike. I passed Charleston lake and even got some trail magic on the form of a bin of snacks. All the sodas were already gone, but I didn’t need a sugar rush to fight off today. Then I entered the Three Sisters Wilderness where the lakes were plentiful and the mosquitos were abundant and massive. There was little reprieve from the monsters. I was liked by the South, Middle and North Sister Mountains with few breaks. The miles were flying by and I thought I had found a good spot for a snack until thousands of mosquitos were upon me minutes later. So I kept hiking and smacked on the fly. I would have loved to jump in a lake, but I couldn’t stand the thought of offering my naked body to the bugs. While the last miles were not as quick as the first, by 8:45pm I had completed my long day and a daylight 50 (completing 50 miles without night hiking). I ended the day with a beautiful walk by Obsodian Falls and through Obsidian Limited use area. Tomorrow will be a shorter day and hopefully one of relaxing and eating. And by shorter I mean a near 30 mile day.
Miles 51
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