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8/22/04 - Northville to Silver Lake
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Dave
A perfect start to the trip, absolutely
beautiful. We are just now settling into Silver Lake Lean-to
after an easy 7 miles. On the way here we took the .1 mile
side trip to Rock Lake, a very short walk to a pleasant body of
water, and I am glad we did as it was something I neglected 2 years
ago.
Took a nice swim in Silver Lake after
pumping some water and getting set up in the lean-to. Looking
forward to trying out the new sleeping bag and pad and I am LOVING my
trail shoes so far.
The trail itself is very wet and muddy
compared to last time - we even had a stream crossing that required
us to take off our shoes and roll up the pants. . . because of
the drought, I did not encounter anything like this on my solo hike.
It will be interesting to see how the trail is different because of
this rainy summer. |
Trail Tip:
The single best piece of advice I can give thru-hikers is to
consider your footwear carefully. Make sure that it fits properly, and
that it is broken in and comfortable. On this hike I decided
against 'traditional' hiking boots and instead set off in a pair of
light trail runners. This turned out to be the best gear decision
of the trip, one that paid off in healthy and happy feet for the
duration of the hike.
Sunset over Silver Lake
| Jess
Dave’s parents
gave us a nice sendoff this morning; they are two of the
nicest people I have ever met. Makes me wonder all the more
just where the heck he came from. Excitement and nerves
combined for a sleepless night last night, but caffeine and
adrenaline managed to motivate me for the first 7.5 miles of
the trip. We arrived at the trailhead around 11:30, just in
time to meet another thru-hiker who was about to set out.
He planned to do the whole trail in 8 days – a sprint
compared to our marathon 13 days.
The trail is
gorgeous so far. I think we’re both just thrilled to be out
here and realize just how lucky we are. Silver Lake was the
perfect first destination and we couldn’t have asked for
better weather—65 degrees and perfectly clear. After a nice
swim, and some unnerving leech sightings (or the Adirondack
Freshwater Eel, as we have come to call them), we had some
dinner and are settling in for our first night. |
Day One Photographs
(Click on a thumbnail
to view a larger picture)
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