Date: 2009-06-06
From: a mile before Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Old Woods Road 3 mi before Walnut Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 11.1

I set up my tent last night rather fast. I cooked something that took only a little water (don't remember what) to get through the night because i have no place to refill my water until tomorrow. I even did a fast bear bag hang. I slept rather well.In the morning I got up and packed quickly, then i got back on the trail. I was camped about 1 miles from top of the hill, so i only hiked about 3.5 miles up a rather steep hill that was 4.7 miles of up. Besides messing up my feet i am happy with last evenings hike, getting a hill out of the way before the morning. I started the day with at the most 1.5 liters or probably more like only a liter of water. It was 10 miles to the next water since the only water i could see easily before that was at Groundhog shelter and that would have been .5 miles round trip just for some water. I past the shelter figuring there would be some water soon. I continued and it was quite a lot of up hill. The guy that came to standing bear the evening before and stayed (Dave) caught up to me just as i was starting to down shift gears. He asks how i am doing with the arm and we chat a little. He helped me to keep hiking in a high gear. I finally see a blue blaze side trail and take it as he passes me. I expect to find water at the end of the side trail since it is blue blazed but it just leads to a campsite and a sign that I didn't look at too hard. I just snapped a picture. It was about raven watershed or something. I continue back on the trail and it came out on a forest road where there was a south bound section hiker. I just have a quick chat and ask if there is water up the trail in a bit. He says, yes, there is a little something ahead. I just go on expecting to cross over a stream and don't look at the book. I go up the trail for a while and it is up hill. Finally i am puckered out and sit on a wet log step in the middle of the trail. Looking at the book I see there was some water on the road where i talked to the guy. I also past some that i didn't see a side trail for or hear. There is another road up a bit that i cross and there is a stream on the other side of it. That is a good landmark that i cannot miss so I push on with no water left. I finally get to a stream off the right side of the trail. I go to it's first opening and take like a 1 and a half or 2 hour break. I forget and people pass and i realize the trail cross the stream a few more steps up the trail. I eat, drink and rest.Moving a little up the trail, i realize my feet feel hurt quite a lot. I take off my boots and see quite a few hot spots just waiting to become blisters. It is weird to me that the sides of the heels were the worst on both feet pretty much. I just take my time letting me feet air out and then finally put some tape on a couple of the hot spot and continue on. The trail is just meandering on a rather flat section. It has a ton of water like 12 stream crossing and like 4 bridges. One crossing is a ford. I go upstream a little off the trail and jump it. It's easy hiking to Max Patch, which was one of the most beautiful places i have been. It is a huge grassy bald with wild flowers, a 360 view and other reasons i can't think up right now. Then I continue on and bump into the 2 guys that left standing bear the same day as me. I have a nice evening of camping with them at a campsite instead of going on like 3 miles to Walnut Mtn Shelter. I have a good night sleep but if i had thought to make my pillow softer in the middle of the night i would have had an amazing night sleep.