LOCALadk Magazine
Issue link: https://localadkmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1417694
pack came out to 38 pounds. Aer getting the easy three-and-a-half miles out of the way along the roads out of Northville, once in the woods, at each step we were rewarded with the crunch of snow underneath us. e skiers' tracks were recognizable and stretched the entirety of the 140-mile trail with varying visibility, and although marking a clear trail, we still had to break trail through fresh snow. We went as far as we could without putting snowshoes on until we were forced to wear them to avoid sinking into the snow or posthol- ing with every step. We took a few breaks and tried to maximize the number of hours we could spend on the trail. Aer logging more miles on the trail, the woods finally broke to reveal the crux of the day. Spanning about 90 feet across was West Stony Creek, and to our relief, it was completely frozen over. ere is no bridge, so without solid ice, the trip would've been over. Limited by the shortened hours of daylight, we pushed as far as we could into the darkness before we hastily set up our tent and brewed up warm water. at was the only day we spent in a tent instead of a lean-to. ough the following days didn't exactly repeat themselves, they did seem to rhyme. We would get up in the dark at 6 a.m. to begin breaking camp, cook oatmeal and boil water for the day— all from the warmth of our sleeping bags. We would be on the trail by 7, logging eight-and-a-half hours of hiking before settling in to a lean-to at around 5 or 5:30, with the intention of repeating something similar the next day. Each day was easier than the previous one as we became stron- ger and our packs lighter. e repetition both in what we saw and what we did was not mindless monotony but simplicity. We were removed from the responsibilities of society, and our goals each day revolved around personal ability. Everything we did was done, in essence, to survive and complete the trail, and was bro- ken down to its simplest form, whether that be the food we were eating or the mental and physical work. e days were oen long and strenuous, especially when the trail became warm and we postholed with every step. e trail demanded commitment and focus. However, to summarize each day through vague descriptions would be to entirely ignore what was oen treacherous and pain- 60 LOCALadk