They say, "Be careful what you wish for!" That saying should apply to our loop hike from last weekend. The written descriptions said it would be either 18 or 16.8 miles. I'd have to go with 18. And of those, at least 9 of them are the full bodied type. The climb from the Pinhoti up the Stairway to Heaven was grueling. Then the next day the long climb up and out from Lake Chinnabee really taxed my endurance due to my short changing my calories that day. In short, I bonked. But I managed to keep on putting one foot in front of another until I made it. Most folks had foot issues. Paul's feet really took a beating. Everyone got their money's worth. I wanted to challenge my strength and that hike certainly did and much more so than the 18 mile hike across the ridges last February.
I think for the next edition of our hike, we will do something more modest. I propose something like 5 mile days. Something so we can stop and smell the roses. My pack will certainly be lighter next year. I will go for some very lighweight materials instead of just taking everything next time. I know I had lots of things that made the trip without being used. Those extra meals for one thing. Too much water on the first day. I can do without the piece of tarp that I put the tent on. And I don't know if that Thermarest was worth the extra weight. There were lots of extras in that pack that can go next time.
The big surprise for me was Paul's reaction. That day about a half mile below the trailhead, he looked like he was thoroughly disgusted. I bet he would never go again. But later he told me how much he enjoyed the trip and how he was researching tents and boots for the next time.