15 miles,
originally uploaded by cindigodotcom.

Our first serious days of training. We loaded our twenty pound packs (Andy says more like 35), hiked 15 miles to Thunderbird State Park, camped the night and hiked the 15 miles back. We’re a little sore right now. The tortured feet pic is much more exaggerated than it looks. After removing the tape and a hot shower I only have a slight blister on my heel and Andy a small one on his second toe.

We got to our camp site with forty-five minutes of daylight left to find that there was no running water. We both had finished the water from our hydration pouches, didn’t have the time or energy to walk anywhere to get water before dark and only brought dehydrated food that required water to rehydrate and cook. The only solution, water from Lake Thunderbird.

Andy went down to the lake to boil the pathogens out of the coffee colored water while I foraged for fire wood. I was tired enough to not even care that I was eating/drinking crunchy, rust colored water.

We checked the weather report when we got back and the internet told us that the temperature got down to thirty four degrees. It was uncomfortable, but not unbearable. We were pretty proud of ourselves until we realized that I was reading the wrong day and it actually only got down to forty two degrees. Now, we’re rethinking the ratings on our sleeping bags and our toughness in general.

Now, we will watch some mindless television, eat a few handfuls of Aleve and sleep the sleep of the exhausted.