You can walk, but can you hike?

What happened to the box of stuff? I had other things going on in the day, but I did gravitate back to the box from time to time. However, I had done my gardening (more on that tomorrow), and it was getting late, and I was NOT done with the box of crap for the day. I DID NOT go to bed. Instead I got out the box, and I emptied it. YES, I DID, and I'm pretty proud of that fact. 

A few more things went into the box to be reviewed in more detail later. This is a good thing because it allows me to quickly go through the box. Again, I'm not trying to put much in that box because - how much do I want to go through in further detail? It'll all work out. 

And the next box is prepped. 

Today's box of crap!

I need to have a before and after picture, so I can see my accomplishments. This is the table from yesterday morning. 

The table yesterday

And now there's an actual spot where you can see the surface. I am a master at rearranging, plus I refilled the box. 

You can actually see part of the surface

The danger for me is to NOT add anything to that blank spot. I want the table top completely clear, and only then am I allowed to put more stuff on it. But wouldn't it be great to have this surface clear before I leave next week? That's my goal, and I'm not sure I can do it, but I'm going to give it an honest try. 

As I mentioned, I MUSTN'T fritter this free time away. I need to make good use of it.

So I decided to go hiking yesterday. I walk every day, but that's not really hiking. I mean -- honest to goodness hiking in the backwoods. I dug out my hiking poles, and found this backpack in the closet where my other small backpack was stored. Hmm -- I've no idea where this came from, but I suspect that we got it at some fundraiser or other function, and when I was cleaning ut the closet of suitcases and packs last year or whenever that was, this got put in the hall closet with the other walking/hiking packs. 

A small day pack

I found a hydration system in it and decided it was a good time to try that. 

A hydration system

I packed a small bag of snacks, items for nature calls, AfterBite, sunscreen, and I was off. I also wore my trusty running shoes, not hiking boots. I would hit The Bruce Trail again and start from a very secluded spot. 

I wasn't far into the hike when I realized I had left a very important thing at home. See all this stagnant water? 

Lots of stagnant water

And all that brush? What do you get with that combination? 

Narrow hiking path

Mosquitos!!!  Thank goodness I had my sweatshirt with me as I wore it the entire time. I thought I was going to get eaten alive, and instead of having a snack at the end, I was going to need a blood transfusion. They particularly loved my wrists as they poked out of my sleeves. 

Let's say that even if I needed to do a washroom break, I was NOT going to expose myself to those hungry devils. 

I thought about turning back, but then I thought, NO -- you can deal with this. I walked for an hour, until I hit the next trailhead and then hiked back. I'm not sure the entire distance; I forgot to check before I left, but I did close to 15KM for my daily total. 

I spotted these stones, which I suspect at one time were a foundation for something -- it wasn't too far from the road. 

A foundation?

Here's the trailhead that I bumped into at the end. Lots of dedication plaques to people who had supported The Bruce Trail. 

A Bruce Trail trailhead

And thank goodness for the signs to tell you what trail you are on.  

Sign for a side trail

Even more critical are the blazes on the trees. The blue ones are for side trails of The Bruce Trail, and the white ones are when you are on The Bruce TrTrailpecifically. Once I hit the actual Bruce Trail, not the side tail, the mosquitos abated considerably, so I continued. 

Trail blazes

At one point, one of the traiTrails closed. When I first spotted the trees across the path, I thought no Trailenance had yet been done, but the maintenance on this trail is pretty darn good. NO -- there was a TRAIL CLOSED sign, but it was hard to see as it was very high up. Why? Because another sign was there telling people NOT to remove the Trail Closed sign -- it was closed for a real reason. Blasting close to the trail from the nearby quarry. 

Trail CLOSED

So was I a successful hiker? Absolutely NOT. For that kind of terrain, my running shoes were pretty useless. There were tons of rocks and very uneven surfaces, and the running shoes did NOT provide good support. No insect repellant, which could have been very bad, but after slathering myself with Afterbite when I got back in the car, I was totally fine -- zero itching. No one knew which trail head I had hit, although DH knew the area I was in -- just not the specific trail head I started at. Let me say that this one is very isolated, and I had visions of wandering those woods trying to find my way out. But common sense prevailed. 

The worst thing was my hydration system. I couldn't get it to work, and I couldn't really stop to investigate it because of the mosquitos. I swear the minute I stopped, they swarmed. For the most part, when I walked fast, which was a challenge because of the very rough terrain in parts, they left me alone. At first, I had not removed the cap on the end. Then I sucked HARD, and nothing happened. When I was in the car on the way home, I realized there is a small valve that you pull and that opens it up. 

DUH   --- well, I think I'm all set for the next hike. It was fun but I wouldn't do it everyday. I had to drive a half hour to get there and took longer on the way home as there was an accident on the highway. But for a change of pace -- it was great. And now that I know how my equipement works -- I'm all set!

And I'll also pack some paper and a pen because I wanted to leave a note for the two idiots (older men) who got on their bikes as I was leaving the parking lot and proceeded to cycle on the trail, even though it explicitly says NO CYCLING on that trail. I wanted to report them and I wanted to let them know I had reported them. No paper and no pen. 

Well, I just got back from spin class and I'm late so that's it for today. There's so much more to say and so many pictures waiting to be posted. It's going to be a busy week!!

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!