Emerson

June 12, 2021 - Saturday morning

58 degrees/cloudy skies/breezy

Pentoga Road

Whew, isn't she pretty? If my granddaughter looks this beautiful at seven years of age, what's she going to be when she's seventeen?

More problematic are the boys that will, at some stage, be drooling all over themselves to gain Em's attention. The father of four boys, and marrying a woman with four sons, Sargie and I talk "boy." We know and completely understand the species. Heck, I can even grunt boar hog boy language with the best of the them.

"Pull my finger, light a match, "good pull," all of that nonsense. You see, I was once a boy.

More importantly, I know what goes through a pimply faced, greasy haired, boy's mind, even if he doesn't, when he sees a pretty young lady.

Yeah, like I said, I'm glad Matt and Jess are Em's parents. 

If she were my daughter, I'm afraid I'd have to sharpen my ball bat in anticipation of the crazed lads who will, no doubt, come calling someday. 

I'm still working on losing a couple of pack pounds before next week's hike. The last time the pack was weighed, the scale registered just a bit over 22 lbs, including four days of food and two liters of water.

I was extremely happy with the way my pack felt while on a quick jaunt Friday morning. The four miles were clicked off in foggy conditions in under an hour.

Thanks to those who wrote and said nice things about the video(s). I hope to upload one daily this coming week (assuming there's cell service) and do the same next year while on the trail.

Which reminds me, I need to start a regular hiking channel on Youtube. Something else to do today. I'm not sure what it will be called, but I'll include that in tomorrow's writing.

The rest of the day was spent preparing. Since the Superior Trail store/office has been closed due to Covid, purchasing a trail guide was out of the question. I've tried repeatedly over the past six months. The only thing I could do was research the section we'll be hiking and download bits and pieces of maps then print each. Without them, we'd have no idea of distances, camping areas, water sources, and so forth.

The cool thing about bits and pieces is that if one is really careful, he can assemble all in perfect order and make a map. 

After all were connected, I went through and marked the miles and other important features of each section. It's not perfect, but far better than walking blindly on a strange trail I've never hiked before.

Friday brought no small amount of frustration in the form of lost items. I've misplaced my Merino wool socks, my Injinji toe sock liners, a compass, and most of all, my GoPro camera.

The loss of the camera is bothersome. I ALWAYS keep it in a case alongside my recliner. ALWAYS. I went to retrieve it yesterday and it simply wasn't there. I can't remember taking it outside or, other than playing with it while sitting in my chair, when I last used it.

The camera is insured, that's not the point. What is the point is that I can't remember what I may have done with it. Much calmer than I, Sargie says to not worry, that it will show up in some unexpected place in the future and all will be well. None-the-less, it's troubling.

The socks? We think I may have packed them with my winter wear while exchanging seasonal clothes a month ago. I'll get into those totes and see what I can find.

The compass is lying around here somewhere. If I can't find it this morning, I'll purchase an inexpensive one today. All I need is something that will show me where north is to keep from walking in circles if we'd get off the trail. From there on, I'm all set.

Sargie and I took a nice afternoon ride. We came across this playhouse that was on the losing end  when a tree fell across its roof.

I finished planting the last of the flowers around the garden and yard. The marigolds not only provide color, but more importantly, they act as a wonderful deterrent to the hoards of grazing deer that wander through.

Today will be much the same as yesterday. I'll continue to add and remove items from the pack. We're running to Iron Mountain to leave off a few bags of clothes at the thrift shop and to pick up any last minute trail items. It going to be a busy one.

Whoops, Mark just texted and said he's on his way out for our usual Saturday morning walk. Time to get moving.

After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...