IAT ‘20 "Mountain Man"
- Cassandra Smith
- Jun 15, 2021
- 2 min read
Day #3 Mile 30.3 to 46.9 stealth site
July 20, 2020
Started early again this morning at 4:30 am. Packed up our site and hit the trail before stopping for a quick breakfast in the middle of the four wheeler path. The entire trail today was this dirt path and totally flat.
I felt pretty good starting out but quickly noticed blisters starting to form. About 10 miles in today we found the perfect beach. The sun was out so we rinsed our clothes again in the river, laid them out on the river rocks and swam naked in the cold river water. It was exhilarating. I swam to the bottom and watched tiny fish nibble on my legs. We laid naked in the sun while our clothes dried. I cooked some ramen for lunch before we packed up and began hiking again.
It rained some which felt good but then was quickly sunny and hot again. My blisters and the open trail with no tree coverage were getting to me quickly. My energy was fading fast and I said to Cobra “I could so chug a cold beer right now”. Not even five minutes later, I shit you not, an old man on a four wheeler pulled over to talk. In the bed was two cold 12 packs of Bud. He immediately offered us one and I couldn’t believe my luck. I chugged it right there while we stood and talked to him. I loved him. He was hilarious and kind and had LOVE tattooed on his knuckles. He had no idea what the trail was but kept asking if we needed anything. He insisted I take two more beers and before he left told us his name was “Mountain Man”. I sincerely hope he knows just how much he made our day.
We didn’t hike much further after leaving him before we bushwhacked off trail to try to find a campsite near a brook. The brook was listed as a water source for the trail but definitely shouldn’t have. It took us at least 15 minutes to get down to it and push our way through the briars to fill our bottles. I stood barefoot in the cool water and then laid down on the shore while Cobra scoped the woods upstream for a campsite. I plucked two leeches off my feet while chugging another one of the precious beers and ate a granola bar before he came back to report he'd found a field he thought we could camp in, until a tractor rolled up to start watering the crop.
We pushed back through the briars and searched for a spot that wasn’t entirely covered in thorns or sloped to set up the tent. We cleared a small spot in a cove of trees and set up. It’s only early afternoon but we’ve already done 16 miles. Town tomorrow because my blisters are destroying me.
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