Day 40 on the Trail

40 Days and 40 Nights!  (Plus two Zero Days)  Wow.

As of 7/23/11:
Miles today - 13.8
Miles to date - 477.5

Dave's day started well with a short detour when he crossed Rte. 103 and there was a diner a half mile down the road.  He and Country Gold ate breakfast, then tackled the day's hike.  (When Dave first met Country, he didn't know his age, but now he does - he is 49).  They went from an elevation of 883' to 3900'.  Not only was it steep, there were trees down everywhere and they had to climb over or go around them, and avoid the big holes left where the roots came up.  There must have been wind similar to a tornado recently.

Dave said he was staying at Cooper Lodge, which, just by the name, sounded kind of nice to me.  I asked about it, he laughed, and said it had 4 walls, which made it a "lodge" instead of a "shelter" but it was a pit.  He said it was if not the worst, then the second worst shelter he's been in.  It has a rock floor, windows though the frames and glass are gone, a door that barely shuts, and broken bunks.  He said, "Sometimes you get a nice surprise and sometimes you get a surprise."

Cooper Lodge

The good news is that it is at the top of a ski run and has a great view.

Dave carries 50' of rope that comes in handy for many things, including hanging food from a tree to keep it away from bears and other critters.  Dave had washed his clothes the night before and hung them on his rope to dry.  In the morning he packed up his clothes, but forgot his rope.  Oops.  He's planning another resupply detour soon and will have to put rope on his shopping list.