Miles 77.6-90.3, Big Bend to Stewart River
6 hours, 12.7 miles, 63 flights, 25k+ steps

After the evening’s rain showers, the sky cleared, so I slept with the rain fly open and my ears tuned for dripping. My rain alarm sounded at 6:00a, and after an hour of trying to kill the one remaining mozzie inside the tent and waiting out the hordes outside, I packed up and wearily hit the trail around 8:15. I was dragging myself toward the goal of a campsite 6 miles up the trail, relying on snacks to motivate my feet. I rejoiced to find the McCarthy Falls site, spending an hour to spread out my wet tent, refill my water, cook some ramen, and even spread out the mat to catch a cat nap. Never underestimate the power of a snack and a nap!

I cruised on with new energy, the mosquitoes manageable (I only heard 1-2 at a time through my head net). Manageable, that is, until I descended into the swamp. I picked steps carefully over slippery mats of cedar and fir roots, fallen needles mixing with black leaf matter to make a thick sludge that grabbed my shoes when I slipped between roots. I gambled life over limb when I opted to stuff my hands into my pockets, trying to save my knuckles from vampiric insects while tempting my ankles to give way and send me flying into the muck.

My energy was flagging and my mood deteriorating, so I pulled out my cure-all remedy: a zippered baggie of gummy worms. I selected a red and yellow sour wriggler and lifted it to my mouth, eagerly anticipating the surge of joy I knew would follow the chew & swallow. My tired feet took advantage of the lapse in concentration on the trail, slipping simultaneously in opposing directions. I clutched the gummy worm, my arms shooting out to broaden my base of support, my eyes widening as I braced for a yard sale. Some harrowing moments of skittering later, my feet were wrangled beneath my legs again, and I paused to catch my breath before uncurling sticky fingers from the worm in my palm. I shot an incriminating glance at the murderous treat before splitting crimson from gold with a chomp, decisively ending the battle over the confection that tried to kill me. Victory is sweet.

You can imagine my relief when I found the Stewart River campsite at 3:00pm, and even more joy when I noted a breeze that kept the mozzies at bay. Joy of joys!

After a slow evening of bathing my feet in the cold water of the river and visiting with three camp neighbors over dinner, I burned the midnight oil until 7:00pm. Late night partying in northern Minnesota!