Barry has just dropped us at the trailhead for another slack packing day, we love it and it’s not raining!

There is something incredible about having lost 15-20lbs of personal weight and not having to lug an additional 30-35lbs of backpack that makes you feel like your feet are barely touching the ground. Why am I thinking this? Because, we are just climbing up from the gap, it is cool morning, I’m wearing ‘the sauna’. All of a sudden as we crest the top we are in the jet stream, I’m not kidding. The wind is so ferocious the noise is deafening. It is like being in a jet liner, except you are sitting out on the wing! I’m happy though that it is not raining, just a little worried that I might go deaf.

Eveready is walking in front of me battling the wind. She is wearing her backpack with the rain cover (just to disguise that it is empty, we slack packers feel badly about our good fortune when we meet our hiking comrades fully laden down with their packs). The wind catches the cover and starts whacking it about like a poorly trimmed sail, I am thinking she might become airborne and how would I rescue her should she be flung into a tree. At that very moment I feel myself being strangled. The sauna, clearly wanting in on the action has allowed my hood to inflate and it is now threatening to not only to strangle me but also to send me toppling backward back down the trail. I need to lose the jacket. It has worked its magic and I am soaked on the inside although the outside is nice and dry. Additionally I take off my black shirt that you have seen in all the pictures for 5 weeks as I have a clean short sleeved hiking shirt (courtesy of Trail Magic Barry).

It is a beautiful day aside from the jet stream attempting to rip our heads off. We are making great progress along the ridge with steep valleys on both sides and get momentary respite when the trail ducks down under the top of the ridge. The ridge follows high above the multi fingered lake that seems to go forever, created by the dam. I am so happy to see that the forest fairies have been busy here as well. The grass is green along the trail and the flowers are starting to appear in increasing numbers and varieties. 

Now dressed only in a very thin shirt the objective is to keep moving fast enough to ensure thermal balance, generate enough heat to offset the convective heat loss due to the jet stream.  It is a challenge. Eveready, much more practical has her jacket on. I am living constantly between freezing in the wind and boiling when I’m out of it. It is remarkable how much noise the wind makes in the trees.

As we move away from the ridge, we are passing a couple of fellow walkers who have managed to survive the rain and a night in their tent, they are not moving quickly. Everyone is only thinking about getting to Damascus. I come upon Swahili just a couple of miles from our destination. He is dragging.  There in front of us is a bear box, put out by the Baptist Church, with drinks and snacks, he is so relieved and sits down to enjoy this trail magic. I say there will likely be more magic at the road and am going on. There is Barry, with Mile Maker, Scooby and Puffin. Tailgate of the truck is down, Gatorade, oranges, peanut butter cracker snacks. He’s a natural at this.  Swahili shows up a couple of minutes later and eats and drinks more, he’s looking better and will continue for a few more miles. We are done, 16 miles in 5.5 hours. We rock!