Kate, me, Leah and Wyllys are all smiles.
Our backpacking trip into the mountains began with a clearly marked trail.
One of our goals was to transport these buns without damaging them.
My pack felt like it weighed 100lbs.
But if there's any weight to carry in life, this is it.
About an hour in we reached the second of many creek crossings.
Fortunately most had logs we could use to cross.
Wyllys gingerly makes his way over.
Spruce Creek was a nice spot for lunch.
Leah told the funniest joke I'd ever heard.
I found a nice spot to gnaw on some jerky.
Black cherry barbeque pork jerky. Soft, supple and delicious!
Leah cleans her blade.
I expressed my love for nature.
It was all smiles before the mosquito swarms.
We stopped for frequent water breaks.
Confidence in our location was still pretty high at this point.
The creek crossings got a little more difficult the further in we got.
The trail disappeared for stretches.
We suffered a horrible casualty along the way.
These things are less easy to cross when carrying a huge backpack.
Wyllys helps Kate across the final creek crossing for the day.
After marching uphill for miles through endlessly thick swarms of mosquitos we reached a clearing.
It was a gorgeous spot to set up camp for the night.
Unfortunately, the mosquitos seemed to like this spot as well.
Despite the mosquitos, I was quite at peace filtering water at a nearby stream.
Wyllys gets a fire started.
I wondered how long ago somebody emptied this can of Schlitz.
I'm pretty sure a bear could get at our food stash if it was determined.
Sunset before turning in for the night.
