The story is getting very repetitive because the “trail” is repetitive: mosquitos to dodge, soaking wet tent and sleeping bag to pack, then suit up and march along.
Of course this morning David has the Taj Mahal of tents set with two chairs inside the bug net veranda.
Plus a breakfast spread of avocado, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, pre-cooked bacon and bagel chips. I’m totally spoiled.
It does take the edge off the relentlessness of the trail. A couple of otters toddle past and secret themselves into the bushy areas near the shore.
A jumbo-sized snail creeps across my path and I relate to his slow, deliberate and determined movements to get where he wants to go.
Brown pelican pass in a squadron, the first I’ve seen this trip. Another stalls, then drop straight into the water head first snapping up breakfast.
I enjoy my morning, quiet and yet alive until a speed racer biker whizzes past yelling at the last possible second, “On your left!” rather than slow down even one scintilla.
But I am capable of giving as good as I get when I take a much-needed break at another shady bench. She whizzes back towards me and I endure she knows I am on her left. Aw, did I startle you honey?! Sorry!
More plodding, more determined snail towards one more shady bench. I see someone sitting there.
It’s David having walked out. He suggests we dry my gear here, which takes no more than 20 minutes – and makes for a lighter pack as we walk together to Lock 191 and an extended lunch sitting in chairs in the shade.
It’s here I realize there’s a small reroute. It’s not possible to cross at the upcoming lock, so a hiker needs to come off the levee for about 1/4 mile and cross on the highway bridge.
But the landowner has closed the access with a locked fence and a multitude of No Trespassing signs. So hikers need to walk two+ miles on the shoulder of a busy two-lane road.
OK, this is not just relentless but it’s annoying.
I’ve dutifully walked around this lake in blazing sun, but I’m not about to risk my life on a road with no sidewalk.
So, I hitch.
With David.
Yes, I skip a couple of miles. How nice to sit in air conditioning for five minutes.
Indeed, the path is fenced off and there appears to be no other way without trespassing. And since we pass a few confederate flags along the road, I’m pleased with my decision not to risk it walking it.
I hit the top of the lake, so walk facing directly into the sun, mercifully for only a few miles.
At the end is Lakefront Park with a beautiful (shaded!) pier poking out into the marshy water. We snap pictures, then find my hotel where I take a well-deserved shower and rinse out my gear before eating mahi-mahi at Parrot Island and take a needed rest.
2 Responses
It was a wise choice taking the ride, rather than risk walking the shoulder of US Hwy 98/441, but you didn’t take an inch more than personal safety dictated, and a really good choice not to hike that section of trail only to find yourself at a dead end. I gained some respect for the crowdsourced app you use.
Thank you! I am so glad we checked it out. The app was really clear that the trail was blocked and that the road was narrow. Funny that it took five minutes to drive, but wow did that A/C feel good! I added some of my own comments to the app about water availability. It’s a good one.