On Sunday, however, we got a good taste of what it is like when Elsa does not want to ride in the child carrier. We drove up a little past Dahlonega, heading toward Suches, to Woody Gap, where the Appalachian Trail (AT) crosses through, and hiked a section of the AT we have hiked before, sans child. In the past we have hiked the mile-plus up the mountain and have camped at the top at a great campsite that is slightly off the beaten path on a spur trail that forks off the AT. It's called Big Cedar, and it has an incredible view of the landscape below. This photo does not even begin to do it justice, but here it is regardless.
There is a large rock outcropping that makes for fabulous moon/stargazing and beautiful sunrises, and lovely patches of grass that provide a little padding for the tents. On this particular day, we stopped and ate our lunch and enjoyed the view all to ourselves. Butterflies flitted around, a little lizard darted between rocks, and the sun shone warmly on our shoulders. It was nice, and Elsa enjoyed sitting in the grass, out of the carrier, chomping merrily on almonds and grapes.
Which brings me back to her non-enjoyment of the ride. I am not sure if it was the fact that we had to drive over an hour to even get to the trailhead and she was already strapped down for that amount of time or if it was because she did not get enough sleep the night before or what, but she whined and cried beginning very early on in the hike. If we sang to her or said the alphabet or counted to ten with her, all was good, but you can only do so much of that when you are struggling for breath while trudging up a mountain. She did a little better if I was hiking in front of her and Jarrett, but she still was not as giddy as she has been on past rides.
We also hiked further this time. We hiked further on this particular stretch of trail than we have in the past, and we hiked further with Elsa than we ever have before. We thought we were hiking just over seven miles, but when we got back home and Jarrett actually looked up the AT data, it seems we actually hiked about eight-and-a-half miles and gained 2000 feet of elevation over the course of the hike. This actually made us feel pretty good in terms of our upcoming hikes, as we could equally compare it to a couple of the slightly difficult ones we have planned. And we both felt pretty good on Sunday, which was positive. Maybe we actually will be able to meet our goals! But I think we also realized -- or at least I did -- that we are going to have our good days and maybe not-quite-as-good days on our three-week hiking stint. And, really, I was already expecting this. We cannot expect Elsa to enjoy every moment she is in the carrier, and we cannot expect that she (or any of us, for that matter) is going to be in a gloriously happy mood every day. I do, however, think that it is going to help once she is out of this cast and can at least run around and stretch her legs for a bit at our rest stops.
Another issue is that she just seems to be having a hard time figuring out napping in the carrier. She looked like she was near sleep a couple of times, like here where she got to kind of that quiet and deliriously smiley-sleepy phase.
But then Jarrett and I would stop for a second to get a drink of water or consult the trail guide or catch our breath, and she would be wide awake and ready to sing again. It was not until within the last quarter-mile of the trail that she decided to fall asleep. Of course. Jarrett was at least able to take off the pack and set it on its kickstand so we could let her continue to nap for a bit longer while we chatted with a through-hiker (one of my favorite pastimes this time of year) who was on his way north and had just started his hike last Friday. She still only ended up napping for a total of about 20 minutes, though, which made for a grumpy girl on the drive back and for the remainder of the evening. Hopefully she will get used to napping in the backpack soon so we have some better luck in California. I still need to get that piece of fleece for the chinpad to save her little chin -- just look at the sad redness! It seems to fade by the next day, though, at least.
I also want to note that Jarrett and I christened our trekking poles on this hiking trip, and I think we are both in love. We have both been kind of skeptical about hiking with poles and were not very happy with the first set we purchased and used on our Tallulah Gorge hike, but we returned those and purchased two other sets, and are now pole-using converts. Our original thought was that they would provide some extra stability on rocky, narrow trails -- especially for Jarrett, who will likely most often be carrying our most precious cargo on his back. And, oh, they provide that and so much more. I think they saved us both from tripping and losing balance a couple of times, and they also just help in saving your knees from as much impact coming downhill, and help take some of the weight off of your legs and into your upper body when trekking uphill. I think they will be indispensable on our trip... and on all hiking trips, especially as we continue to age!
2 comments:
Wow. It sounds like you guys are ready!
The photo of Elsa in the carrier on it's kickstand is so great! Funny, cozy and bizarre!
We're not beginning to "age" yet, are we? :-)
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