The weather seems to be doing a better job of keeping me off the trails in 2021 than COVID-19 did in 2020. I could have got out last week, but the ground was covered in snow, and I didn’t have any suitable footwear. So, (a) I ordered some footwear. Hopefully, I’ll not be caught out again, and (b) I had to wait another week before getting out on the trail. Even worse, I had a work event booked for Saturday morning, so it was going to have to be a short overnight trip, with, surprise, surprise, a lot of rain in the forecast.

I packed my backpack Friday night and I was ready to go as soon as I got changed after our training event finished. That almost worked. But before I could get on my way I had to dump a load of Amazon boxes at the recycling facility here in town.

With the lack of time and the fact I wanted to get some miles under my feet, I decided that (yet) another trip to Hercules Glades was going to be in order. Only this time, despite the late start, I was going to hike in six miles and then go off in search of a spring I had noticed marked on the map. The spring was a good way from the main trail, and it looked to be in a fairly steep location (it was), but I figured I could find a camping spot nearby (I did).

The day had started sunny, but I knew I had a six-mile race against the rain which was forecast to arrive around five p.m. And I didn’t start my hike until two p.m.! In a repeat of several of my recent trips, it was time to ‘pour on the coal’ and get moving. I made excellent progress, by 5 p.m. I had found my campsite, and I put my tarp up to provide shelter against the coming rain. After that it was just the usual setting up camp chores of collecting water, finding a tree to hang my food bag from, and setting up my hammock.

This picture was very taken very hastily. Not because I was in a hurry, but because as I was taking it, I heard voices coming up the Pole (Pete) Hollow Trail. I grabbed the photo and scampered off as quickly as possible to avoid having to meet the hikers.

Have I mentioned that I don’t like meeting people on the trail and that I backpack to get away from people? Yeah, I thought I might have mentioned that a few times before.