Diane leaves me..........so sad

Neither Diane or I were in a big hurry to get started on Saturday the 24th. We got up a little late and lingered over the beautiful breakfast sandwiches that Diane picked up from the local McDonalds while I posted to this website.

We made a resupply stop on our way back to Middleville where she had picked me up the evening before. I felt a little sad when she dropped me off on the outskirts of town exactly where she had previously picked me up.

She took a picture of me, gave me one last lingering kiss and was on her way. Since this is my idea and not hers I can only be thankful for her support and willingness to help. But the woman just dumped me by the side of the road and left!

It was a little past noon when I started that day's trek. I only had to go seven or eight miles before I was going to set up camp in Middleville State Game Area.

It was an interesting afternoon and early evening hike. I saw more swan, whitetail deer and many other animals. I also saw some cattle that made me look twice. I have seen many dairy cows and a lot of beef cattle but these looked like the steers on the old westerns.

I entered the southwest end of Middleville State Game Area and walked for several miles. I found this to be a very nice part of the hike. It was early evening and later than it usually is when I enter the woods. The rainy, evening gloom put a different look on everything.

There was a short stretch of Harris Creek Road that I followed and then the trail veered off the road and went due east. I had been hearing gun shots all day. Some of them fairly close. Nothing like I was hearing now though. The shots were constant and each step seemed to bring me closer.

Time to stop. I quickly found a very secluded spot in the woods and went back deep. I used pink ribbon and empty red shot gun casings as a guide to get me back to the trail in the morning. I went back to the trail and my tent was all but invisible.

It was raining quite hard now and all told it will have reached close to an inch by morning. I burrowed into my tent, slid into Mr. Sleeping Bag and called Diane. The signal was very poor and we did not talk for long. She could hear me just well enough to know that I was safe and sound and not likely to drown in the rainstorm.

The shots had stopped by now and darkness was falling. I slept through the rain and was ready to go Sunday morning.