Day 8 June 21st bivouac

Day 8 June 21^st Bivouac

I hear the birds around 5:30 am as my mind comes to consciousness. I roll over telling myself, “I can sleep another ‘round’”. I wake up at 6:30 lay on the air mattress as the air is pushed out of it by my weight. I deflate the pillow. Roll over and stuff my sleeping back into the stuff sack. Then roll up the mattress and put it into its stuff sack. Now for breakfast while I get dressed and start loading the backpack. I eat a few bites and pack something. This goes on until I am ready to start hiking. By 8:00 I am ready to hike. There is some up hills that are gradual. Then a downhill that allows me to move a little faster and this feels good. I can hear the Interstate below me. I get to a grass field and as I start through it a man with a backpack is coming towards me.

We stop and talk. I tell him there is a steep hill coming up. He say that he knows it, and that he hikes it at least 2 or more times a week to stay in shape for longer hikes. We talk about the trail in general and part company.

When I get to the road, the blazes are unclear so I get the map out and figure that I have to turn right. After 50 years I see a white blaze. I am in the sun now and heating up rapidly and starting to sweat. I have to turn left on another road and go under the Interstate. Then the trail goes through a grassy part of the cloverleaf on Interstate 89/17. I begin to feel more tired. The weeds are like weights on my legs. I get across the cloverleaf and again the blazes are unclear. I look at the map and then read the instructions on the back of the page. It says that I am about to inter the reservation and that I should walk quietly. It also says that part of the trail is the old park entrance. All I see is a mud road with old puddles of water. It is the only way to go. A cat crosses in front of me. I wonder if it is wild or just out hunting from some home I cannot see.

I am feeling very hot now. The mud road becomes and old cement road with numerous ATV side road shot offs. My body is fatigued and in pain. Every step becomes exhausting. I walk 15 steps and have to pause. I wonder why I am doing this crazy hike. It seems like it is taking forever to go 100 yards. I feel sluggish and in slow motion. I remember a similar feeling on the AT but it was in the cold and this is in the heat – heat exhaustion??—I do not realize it until 2 days later when I look back on the experience --.

I plod on, resting, plodding, resting, plodding, resting, plodding – there is a house to the left with a small lake, the mosquitoes start to swarm me, I plod on. I get to the old iron bridge over the Allegany River. It has the Indian name for the river painted on it. I cross the river and take a picture. I sit on a large square rock at the end of the bridge to eat and drink. A couple of cars make their way slowly over the bridge and wave at me. I think about hitch hiking a ride and quitting the hike. I decline the thought with some reservation. I sling my pack on after reading the map both sides. I go 30 yards where I am suppose to turn right on a snowmobile trail that parallels an active railroad track, Western NY & Penn. The guide says it is an active track and to be careful. The trail looks more like a footpath than a trail. Just as I turn right here is a run off of water coming from a large pipe under the track. The water is clear. I have no idea where it comes from. I feel it and it is cold. I take my pack off and get out my Aquamira Frontier Pro filter. I chose this filter because is much lighter than my pump filter. I filter one liter and drink most of it. I filter 2 more liters and put them in my pack. I start up again and hear several ATV’s roaring nearby. I walk down the path. It is covered with brush and I have to work my way around several dead falls. The blazes go across the track and up a hill on Sunfish Run RD. I feel a little better after the cold water.

I am in the sun again and getting fatigued again. The road walk, one of many to come, stops at the entrance of Camp Li-Lo-Li and turns right down a farm road. I decide to rest for a while. I pull my small tarp out of the pack and put it on the ground. I get some smacks out of the pack and sit down. The sign says Welcome and Volunteers Welcome. I toy with the idea of exploring the Volunteer Welcome, but fall asleep. A delivery truck wakes me up. He waves at me. I eat and drink. The mail delivery van drives by and 15 minutes later returns. This time he waves. A Harley rider drives by and nods at me. I rest for an hour plus. The Harley passes again and waves at me. I but the tarp back in the pack and sling it up onto my shoulders being careful of the bite valve. The guide says there is no water at the Bivouac but there is a stream between the bivouac and me. I start up the road and come to the stream in less than ½ a mile. I fill all the Plady’s and continue up hill. I actually get some “striding steps” for 10 yards several times. I stop often going up hill. When I figure I am about ½ up the hill, I stop for a rest. In taking the pack off, the bite valve goes flying off. It takes a couple of minutes to find it. I must be more careful !!!!! I reach the top of the hill and see a very very steep down hill logging road.  Even going very slow I slide several times. At the junction in the road I see a small sign in a tree to the left “Bivouac” (it is the only one I will see for the whole hike). I turn left and see a log that will make a seat and take my pack off. Then I start the routine 1. drying line up, 2. unpack putting things on the small tarp, 3. start soaking the rice 4. set up tent, 4. change into dry camp clothes, 5. hang up wet clothes, 6. blowup air mattress and pillow 7. put sleeping back in the ten along with mattress 8. eat and cleanup 9. set out tomorrows breakfast and lunch 10. go to bed.

I continue my journal. I note that I have one day of food left and according to my speed and the map 2 days of hiking before I get to Ellicottville. Before I headed out from Wisconsin, I emailed the RV Park that is ½ way between here and Ellicottville about staying there. The return email said there was camping space there that I could use. It is also next to a golf course restaurant. I figure I can get enough food at the park store to get me to Ellicottville.

As I look at the map, my planned schedule, I realize that I am behind and very fatigued. My body hurts and this has not been fun. I tell myself that I can always call up MP at Worthington State Forest and ask if they could use a volunteer for the next 6 weeks. This would give my hiking time in the woods and be round people I have enjoyed over the years. I will give myself some time to see if my body starts to feel better. I change my goal to seeing how much of the FLT I can hike in the next 6-7 weeks since it looks like I would make the whole trail as I did with my Appalachian Trail Thru hike. I go to sleep with a plan and a couple of options feeling more relaxed about the whole hike. I hear a chainsaw down in the valley. As dusk settles in, the noise and yelling stop. I drift off to sleep.