Day 28
Location: St. Croix River
Distance: 19 miles
Weather: felt a little cooler, sunny and 70s
Mood: celebratory!
Road walk complete! Glad to be back on the trail!
Today was the third and final day on our big road walk to start the NCT. After this we'll be on trail nearly the rest of the way, with a few exceptions that are much shorter. I really thought this would be a difficult part of the trip, but the mood has remained high all three days. We've enjoyed the ability to walk side by side and talk, and views further into the distance through Douglas County Forest. But road walking is hard on our feet, and we've been waking up early to limit time in the direct sun and heat, so it'll be good to get back on our normal schedule and softer ground.
Waking the roads has also brought us across the paths of some interesting people. I was truly shocked when we ran into another thru hiker yesterday. The NCT is much less traveled than the SHT. To put it in context, the trail log books on the SHT were mostly just a few months old because they filled up so fast, whereas one of the log books on the NCT went back to 2015 and wasn't close to full yet. From those books it seems that maybe a handful of people thru hike it each year, so to meet someone else was a really special thing!
Today we spent the morning dodging trucks driven by bearded lumberjack-looking men in with dogs in the back. The same cars passed us multiple times in both directions so we were wondering what was going on. They were apparently just as curious about us and eventually one of the trucks pulled up next to us and asked where we were headed. Michigan, I said to disbelieving stares, and explained we had already walked 300 miles to get here. Before they drove on, they told us they were tracking a big bear, so we should watch out and listen for the dogs. It was our turn for disbelieving stares, but some time later we did hear a barking frenzy in the distance.
The other fun meeting of the day happened during our lunch break. A literal parade of ATV and UTV drivers drove past. There were about 50 vehicles with multiple riders over the course of 15 minutes, and we waved to every single one as they went by. They seemed just as delighted to have an audience sitting by the side of the road.
The final mile stretched on as the temperature climbed but we made it to a beautiful camp by the St. Croix River, feeling accomplished. I jumped into the river to cool down and watched tiny fish swim around me. Tonight were staying up late (8:30) with a fire to celebrate being back on the trail!
