The first night

I woke up with a start. It took me just a moment to orientate my self. It seemed a bit darker than when I first crawled into the tent. I looked at my watch and saw that it was close to 7:00 p.m. The time change was yesterday and I was glad now that I had the extra hour of daylight.

My appetite had returned. I looked at my water bag and now wished I hadn't put the iced tea mix in with the water. I have a great water filter and now was the time to try it out.

The next step was to find a water source. With intent I had found the highest point around to set up camp which means now I have to go back down to find a water source. I better get moving, it will be dark soon. I tied a piece of red ribbon on a tree when I crossed the trail so I could find my way back to my campsite.

I kept working my way down and eventually saw a pond a few hundred feet ahead. It kept getting muckier as I got closer. With about 10 feet to go I got down on all fours and crawled to a spot that on my belly I could reach the water. Because of the snow melt and rain the water had risen and I could only reach the over fill.

I stretched out as far as I could so that the water was deep enough to begin filling the bag. It was not easy. It was cold, I was covered in mud and I could barely trickle water into the bag because of the shallow water. It seemed I would get as many leaves, mud and small sticks into the bag as I did water.

Time to give up.

I worked my way back towards my camp. When I was about 50 feet from the trail, I felt that my efforts paid off. Directly in front of me was a flock of Wild Turkey's walking down the trail. I always love seeing these birds. I watched them for awhile. There were about 20 in all.

Back to camp. I wasn't sure if I needed to go left or right on the trail when I reached it. I wasn't too worried as I new I would only go in the wrong direction for a short time before I would turn around and go the right way.

I have to confess at this point.

I tried to pick a spot to place my tent that would not be visible from the trail. I was quite pleased with myself, when going down the hill to get the water, the tent quickly left my sight. Now as I was trying to get my bearings I saw my tent in clear view from the new angle. So much for my wilderness deception abilities.

I quickly got back to camp and started filtering the water. With the sticks and mud constantly plugging the hose it took me 10 minutes to get 2 cups of water. Not a very successful endeavor. But it was enough for tonight. I boiled the water and made a packet of Lipton's Chicken Noodle Cup of Soup. I added some Kroger Cheese and Crackers to the soup and that was dinner.

Considering the effort to get the water, the long day of hiking and the limited amount of water I retrieved the soup wasn't that good. It was great!

It was almost full dark now and I was relaxing for a while before turning in for the night. I took in the full 360 degree panoramic view and was amazed that I could see a couple of miles away in all directions. Then I noticed that in my entire line of sight I could only pick out a few points of light. I did not realize that you could be so isolated in southern Lower Michigan.

During the entire day I only passed four cars and I didn't see any people except for the few in the cars.

Now that it was later I was able to call Diane. I have always loved the sound of her voice and it was even more precious to me now. It had been less than 12 hours since I last spoke to her, even so, it seemed like a lot longer. I have always been in love with her. I am glad that has never changed.

Time for bed. I crawled back into the sleeping bag and curled up to sleep. I slept very well this night. I do have to tell you that the 30 degrees was very cold when I was standing outside at 3:00 a.m. for my bathroom break.

The pictures above are:

Wilderness Survey Marker
View from campsite
My hidden campsite
Trail Blaze