- Always check all of your compartments to make sure they're zipped up and that anything clipped to your bag is still there after taking a rest break. Yup, that's how my visor disappeared. Sadly I didn't realize until 10+ miles later, there was NO way I was going back for it.
- Don't text and pack or you might forget something important, like say your sleeping bag. In my defense I packed the liner, so at least I had some type of cover. That being said I ended up sleeping in my wool base layer, extra shirt, jacket, hat, two pairs of socks and had the liner pulled up over my head to stay warm. 60s at night sounds great until you don't have sufficient coverage to stay warm consistently.
- Those pretty streams aren't just for crossing and looking at- they're also your water source. Fairly obvious right? One would think so, but in my haze of enjoying the scenery it didn't dawn on me that those pretty streams and rivers were the water source listed on the map. Thankfully I didn't run out of water, but I was conserving more than usual until I knew I was going to make it to the next water source 3+ miles down the trail.
- Drink more water! Again, obvious, but most hikers (and runners!) don't drink enough. Guilty party here. I am terrified of running out of water (see #3) so I conserve way more than I should, and then I get moving uphill and can't figure out why this is so challenging..... dehydration signs at their finest.
- Climbing that rise is difficult, but going down is going to be even more challenging, especially if they don't believe in switchbacks. I was detesting climbing up (see #4) and then all of a sudden my quads were dying going downhill. I used a few running techniques to include leaning forward to offload my quads, relying more on my poles and attempting to let momentum carry me safely, but thanks to Rocksylvania that's not easily possible.
- Move off to the side of the trail when letting someone pass, and FYI uphill hikers have the right of way. I always make a point to step off the trail when able to let someone pass, but there was nothing more frustrating than finally finding my stride (see #5) headed up an incline only to have to move over onto a rockier part to let an oblivious hiker share the trail with me.
- Say Hi and chat with fellow hikers if they stop you. I know you have miles to conquer but maybe they have some useful information. Two different groups stopped me when they learned my destination to warn me about the flooded trail and to take the dry trail detour unless I wanted to be soaked.
- Test out your gear and know the ins and outs of it. Maybe I'm continuing to point out the obvious, but I thought I knew my pack in and out before this trip. And then the rain hit and I realized I had a rain cover for it, but no idea how to attach it. I didn't even bother attempting it in the rain, figuring my stuff had a better chance staying dry if I just kept moving.
- Wet rocks are slippier than they appear. Day 2 topping off my water before leaving camp I push off to climb back out of the stream and in goes my right foot. I hadn't even started my hike for the day and that foot was soaked. I swore I had good purchase on that rock, but apparently not.
- Laugh at yourself, a lot. I spend a lot of my hikes smiling and laughing quietly (and not so quietly) at myself. Every time I stub my toe (a lot less this trip!) and about go sprawling I smile and often chuckle, what else can I do? I could be mad, but the truth is the rock was always there, I just misjudged my feet. It makes for a much more pleasant hike when you can find humor in your actions (see #9).
So these are my silly little lessons learned on my hike this weekend. I hope you find them useful.
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