TRT 7: Star Lake

Daily Miles: 18

Total Miles: 120

It was another warm morning with bright blue skies. We headed out just before 7:00am and had a pretty slow first few miles. We stopped a lot at the beginning to look at different trees and determine what kind of tree it was. It was pretty fun to see the differences between the trees and to be able to start identifying them. It is always more satisfying when you recognize the trees in the forest.

Within a few miles this morning, the race route was back on the TRT. We didn’t start seeing any racers for a few hours, but then as the day went on we saw more and more…probably at least 30 runners. We would often clap and cheer for each runner as they went by. Some folks appreciated the support and some couldn’t have cared less. But we had fun with it and it was something new on this trip.

We also started to see hikers who we already met on the northern end of the lake. That is a fun thing about doing a loop trail…you get to see people more than once. We saw one lady and her dog, and she seemed to be having a bit of a tough time. And we saw a couple who seemed to be having a good hike. When we saw them the first time, it was the first day for all of them and our second day.

The miles seemed to come pretty easy today. Even though we would stop from time to time for tree identification, we still made really good time. We got into camp at Star Lake just after 4:30pm. We had hoped to go for a swim in the lake, but the water was frigid, so we opted for just a wipe down with a wet towel and a rinse out of our shirts.

It has gotten quite cold here this evening, and there is a strong wind making it feel even colder. We all headed for our hammocks by 7pm because we were getting too cold just sitting outside.

We are all hanging within a very small area. Beardoh, MountainMan, and Ace are pretty much right next to each other…with maybe a foot or two between each hammock. SweetPea is hanging right near their heads…definitely the tightest quarters of the trip so far. But it is a nice spot with a good view of the lake. We’re excited to pick up our final resupply tomorrow and have a meal in town.