Cave Run Lake Day 3- Stoney Cove to Clear Creek

Miles 37-47.5. 14.08 recorded miles.

​Today was pretty hard. I almost cried. There were a few moments I really wanted to just fall over and be carried out of the forest. I slept great and once I made my coffee, I felt ready to go. The trail led to the lakeside. I could only see it through a few trees. It is really clear and blue. I really want to take my kayak down here. The trail wound in and out of the coves of the lake. I hiked through a pack of 5 dogs and somehow only came out with only slobber on my legs. After that, I saw no one the rest of the day. About 12 miles I was completely alone. A lot of people don’t like hiking alone. I looooove it. I don’t really notice that I’m alone or not with people. I guess I don’t feel alone because I know the trees are watching and the birds are singing their songs for me. The birds were plentiful . The spider webs were also plentiful. Very very plentiful. Honestly, the spider webs were the most difficult part of today. Not the 14.08 miles, not the mud puddles, not the crazy elevation changes, not the heat, but the spider webs in the middle of the trail. It was awful! I couldn’t hike! They are so hard to see and pull off of yourself. I had a spider stick, but it only really prevented me from getting webbed half of the time. I couldn’t just NOT try to get them off of me. I would say on average, I stopped every 3 minutes to get the webs off me and to make sure there wasn’t a spider attached to me. It was really discouraging to stand for a minute getting webs off you only to turn around and run right in to another one. The mud puddles were pretty often past the lakeside part of the trail. Only one foot got completely submerged in muck though. I stopped to eat lunch and seriously did not want to get back up again. I was almost halfway through. Once I did get up I actually began hiking at a faster pace, but the webs still slowed me down. I was counting on a creek to be running because I had visited it before when it was flowing back in March. Today it was bone dry so I had to ration my water for the last 4 miles. 7 liters of water for a 2-day, 2-night trip in the summer is definitely not enough, but I did make it back to the car without feeling dehydrated. I took the last sips from my water bladder just as my car came into sight. The last 0.25 mile was cruel. Ups and downs and I could see the road, I was almost there, but the trail kept going. Finally I reached the road crossing and literally drug my feet to the parking lot. I parked by a boat launch on Clear Creek Lake, so I was able to get in the water and wash the webs and ticks off before my 2-hour drive home. Overall, it was a very tough trail: 1,225 feet of elevation gain, trying to stay on your feet walking through mud puddles, and some overgrown brush in some parts. Even though I was on the verge of tears at some parts and ready to quit, I was still just happy to be there. So that section is down... 254 miles to go!