May 17th, 2015

Today's miles = 19.6
Total ADK miles = 187.9

I woke up today feeling so much better! I took a nap last night after I got in the tent and before eating dinner and I think that really helped. I also slept well. The black flys were already awake when I woke up and were disturbing me while I was trying to make my breakfast and coffee. I got packed up and moving by 7:45am

The first 11 miles of the day absoutely flew by. I don't even really recall hiking them. They were easy miles and I felt great so I had no problem stomping away at the trail. My leg is almost completely better as well. The morning followed a lake or two and it was a prety hike to my lunch spot. I took lunch at Cedar Lakes by a rickety bridge. The sun came out and the wind blew just enough to make it very pleasant. The first few miles after lunch were okay as well but eventually the Trans ADK veered off the NPT and went down to an old shelter. From there I had to bushwhack around Cedar Lake in a dense mixed forrest with hardwood and pine. Pine is sharp! It sucked.  It was slow moving and did I mention I HATE bushwhcaking? I've got countless cuts, scraps, and puncture wounds as souvenirs. After that about .7 bushwhack I met up with an old abandoned trail that was almost completely overgrown. There was enough of a path to follow but I did have to pay close attention. That trail didn't last long until it came out to a meadow. The meadow was surprising rather dry and I didn't even get my feet wet. In the guide for the Trans ADK it tells you to from this point enter the dense spruce forrest directly on the otherside of the meadow and bushwhack South to meet up with the continuance of the former trail. There was no way in hell I was going to do that. I thought for sure there was a smarter way. So, I walked along the meadow South until, alas, I found the trail leading into the sprice forrest. There was absoutely no need for that bushwhack and I'm so glad I didn't listen to the book.

I followed that trail (which was still barely there) a few more miles, passed another beautiful lake, and eventually met up with the French Louie Trail. The French Louie felt like heaven having come from the overgrown trail, although, it was rather in need of some work as well. About 2 miles down that trail I was ready to camp for the night, however, there was absoutely NO good places to lay down the tent.  I accepted defeat and ended up setting up pretty sloppy on the very bumpy and muddy ground just above the trail. It took some time to make it a suitable place to camp but I was eventually satisfied and cooked my dinner (Veg chili) and went to sleep.