Date: 2018-06-05
From: Stealth camp site, Mile marker 547.2

To: Lynn Camp Creek campsite 
Miles today: 15.0

Well I dosed off pretty quickly last night in spite of helicopters and barking dogs. This morning I was greeting by the songs of birds at 6:10 and they were kind enough to keep it down for another hour so I could get a bit more sleep.Today was another great day to hike, sunny and warm though not too much breeze and it was just Train Wreck and me heading north after a quick breakfast. We planned on about 13 miles today but ended up at 15 since the combination of flat tent sights and good water sources didn¢t present itself.The day started out up hill and continued on until the very end. There were some down hill sections but they were steep and fast so those can be just as trying and in some respects, even more so than going up. Many people with knee issues would much rather climb than descend, just ask The Mayor. Because there was so much climbing today and he is a bit more than half my age, TW and I separated within a mile of breaking camp and I didn¢t see him again until 1:30 when I was stopping for lunch on a mountain top with a great view of the north. Funny thing, TW was standing there admiring the view when he mentioned that he¢d just finished lunch while sitting on a rock in the chilled, shaded forest about 500 yards back...bummer, but you never know where the views are going to be. It turns out that we were going to be heading to the north and walking across those very pastures that we viewed from where I had lunch. It¢s pretty cool to look out across a landscape knowing that within a couple of hours or maybe tomorrow I¢ll be standing on that mountain looking back this way trying to figure out where I came from. Of course I¢ll just have an idea based on direction of my compass since all I¢ll be able to see is trees and more trees. I did suggest putting up a sign saying ¢you were here¢.I spent another good portion of the day hiking through pastures. The trail through one of the fields was new as it was rerouted for some reason just about two weeks ago. But the cows are using it too and leaving their ¢impression¢ at various spots along the way, so I¢m sure it will be worn down to dirt in no time. The hills are rolling and surrounded by neighboring pastures that from a distance, look like well manicured lawns with miniature buildings and even smaller livestock dotting the hillsides. Farther up the hillsides the ¢lawns¢ are replaced by a distinct line of trees whose darker shades of green continue climbing until they abruptly stop at a smoothly jagged line of brilliant blue that rolls along the contours of the mountain tops. Would this called the point where the land stops or the sky begins?For the last few days there has been an increased presence of low lying poison ivy and poison oak along the trails, whether in the woods or the fields. Many of the other trailside plants grow a bit taller so the vile weeds are not always noticeable. I do my best but if I maneuver over a rock or root and feel something touch my leg, I¢ll stop and see what I might have  brushed against. So far, so good.So I mentioned that we moved on today until we found sufficient tent sites and water. We also ran into Renoir, who left Marion a day before us. The three of us are camped along a stream and tonight the sounds of that stream will be my lullaby.