morning

morning
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

I woke up at 6 this morning, but lay about trying to convince myself that leaving the tent was really necessary. Eventually, I roused myself up and went in search of the old pipe spring, three-tenths of a mile to the south. I had filled up my water bottles at a fast-flowing river up by Intervale Rd the previous day, but by now my water supply was almost gone.

Since I wasn't sure whether the spring water was potable, I popped iodine tablets in it, just as I had with the river water the day before. I am not keen on the taste these pills impart to the water, but better safe than sorry. I should mention that this section of the Midstate is abundant with water. It may be due to the heavy rains we've had all summer, but all the brooks, streams, and rivers were running with wild abandon.

From there on, it was just a matter of retracing my steps. The mosquito problem continued, generally unabated. My trip back was largely uneventful, with one exception: passing through a sunny, open area, I disturbed two moose. One had a small set of antlers and the other did not. They are very impressive, majestic animals, in my opinion. They were perhaps a hundred feet away when I saw them, and they were gone in an instant! Too bad I was unable to get a photograph!

On the way back, I had a brief chat with a woman and her daughter, as I passed by their house. The woman told me that her grandfather (in-law?) had done the entire Midstate Trail, piecewise, at the age of 80. That's impressive! But I'm glad that I'm taking the time to do it now. Despite all the bug troubles, I had a great time this weekend, and feel pleasantly exhausted now. I should sleep very well tonight!