We’d both been quiet for a while, too hot, sweatyand drained for chit chat. In two and a half days we’d hiked 25 miles, most in full pack, most in 90-degree heat. We were nearing the end — hopefully, of just the hike.
I looked over my shoulder and saw a rare downcast look on Alison’s face. “They aren’t gonna like this,” she said.
In the past couple of weeks, it’s become hot. Summer hot.
And that means when we head out for a hike, we’ll look more favorably on trails that have water as a main feature. Just enough to cool our feet in, maybe splash some water in our face. Trouble is, you can’t always choose how much water you get. When that happens, when your trail comes across a stream or creek without a bridge or an obvious way to get across, you need a strategy for a safe crossing.
A dozen summers ago I tried to hike a section of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail off Redwood Road in Raleigh and was quickly thwarted. About 20 yards in, the trail disappeared into a sea of summer growth, of saplings and grasses and ground covers all prospering in the heat of the season. I was bummed, because I’d hiked this stretch, Day-Hike Section P, of the MST several times, but, apparently, every time in winter, when the less hardy species had gone into cold storage. The problem in summer: no one hiked this stretch, in large part because not many folks knew it was there.
In Wednesday’s post, we noted that the Texas Medical Association, among others, has deemed camping one of the lowest-risk things you can do in these coronavirusly challenging times. Only opening your mail offers a lower risk.
Wednesday, we explained why camping is low risk and that even if you think you don’t have any camping gear, you probably have most of what you need. Today, we promised to share five of our favorite campgrounds in the state, with a quick description of why.
If you haven’t seen it yet, there’s a graph from the Texas Medical Association circulating on social media that rates various activities from 1 to 10 based on their COVID-19 risk. Most risky (four are tied at 9): going to a bar, attending a religious service with 500+ worshippers, going to a sports stadium and going to a big music concert. Least risky: opening your mail (1).
