Hello faithful readers! I’m back after the hike of doom! 16.5 miles of the hottest, dustiest, and most grueling trail of my life! I wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything!
It was hot, and dry. It was physically and mentally exhausting. It was exhilarating and most of all, worthwhile! I am so sore! My feet and calves are screaming. I thought I had 2 blisters, when in fact I have 5! Have no fear, they are not debilitating.
The scouts took care of me by calling back to the adult group and telling me to get my inhaler out, a big hill was in my near future! They were right 90% of the time and they waited patiently for me to catch my breath at the top!
We did have one casualty. One of the scouts twisted his ankle at mile 5 of 10. He had to hobble back the remaining 5 miles. The other scouts took his pack and divided it up amongst themselves to help him out. I spent time with him talking about all things comics. From the DC television shows to the expanded Marvel Cinematic universe. It seemed to take his mind off of the injury and the remaining distance back to camp.
The next day we were to complete the remaining 6.5 miles. The injured scout was only able to complete the first 2 miles before throwing in the towel. Our scoutmaster and his son, along with the injured scout hiked back to camp and waited for us.
I was asked to take the lead and set the pace, since I became the slowest and oldest of the group. I asked one of the scouts who was carrying a speaker and playing music for us, to put on Billie Jean. They all thought me crazy, but at 120 beats per minute, it is the perfect song to hike to! I stepped off at a blazing 3.5 miles per hour and the scouts were amazed this old man had it in him! 2 hours later we were done! We stopped for a snack and some water breaks. But afterward, EVERYONE was winded!
The camper is home and being dewinterized and packed for the trip to Frankenmuth, MI. My son and daughter have stepped up and are taking over some of the jobs for me, since I am still feeling the effects of the hike days later. They are now realizing just how much I do for the camper and for them in general! Maybe now is the time for me play the injured card more often!
The weather is taking a break from being warm and heading back to early springtime. The forecast is calling for rain and highs in the low 60’s for the weekend. I would have killed for that during the hike! Instead we had to deal with mid to high 80’s! Well, that’s Michigan for ya!