I’ve taken a day off so that I can spend three days on a slow hike of the 16-mile loop of the Big Piney Trail in Paddy Creek Wilderness. Unlike previous trips, it is forecast to rain on the first day, not the last.

I left home around eleven-thirty and arrived at one-fifteen, and would have been on the trail in a few minutes. … Except the trailhead had been moved and there is a new parking lot, so I had to move the car. It was gone one-thirty before I got started. From the four vehicles at the trailhead, it was likely I was going to meet four or more people on horseback on the trail.

I planned to hike around four miles today (Friday), seven miles Saturday, and five miles Sunday. That should be nice and easy, except there are some pretty steep hills to climb.

I’m hiking the trail clockwise. I’ve never hiked the complete trail in this direction, so it’ll be interesting to see how it goes. There’s rain in the forecast for this afternoon and tomorrow. With all the rain we’ve had recently, I’m wondering if the creeks will be up.

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