I slept little that first night. I couldn’t get warm. I slept with my clothes in my sleeping bag to try to dry them out. I slept with my water filter because I knew if it froze I would have no way to filter my water. I lay in the tent until daylight, there was a still a sprinkling of sleet and snow. The air temp was in the mid twenties, I knew I had to get moving if I was going to warm up.

I put on my damp cloths and wet shoes. I struggled to pack up my tent and the rest of my gear. My hands were cold and clumsy. I wasn’t hungry, I knew I needed to eat but I wanted to get moving. I filtered a couple liters of water from the creek near the shelter. Other hikers camped at the shelter slowly came out of their tents and began moving about. Nobody talked much, we were all suffering from the cold and wind. I headed up the trail. I thought I would eat after hiking for a while to warm up.

The day was cloudy and cold. Light sleet and snow fell intermittently. The hiking was tough, but the effort slowly warmed me up. I took my time hiking, my legs were stiff and sore. I looked forward to reaching Hawk Mountain Shelter. Again, I ate very little, I just wasn’t hungry. I knew I had to eat more. When I was about 2 miles from the shelter, the chest strap broke on my pack. My hands were too cold to try to fix it. I trudged on, constantly shrugging my pack straps to keep them in place. I needed to fix the chest strap.

It seemed like forever but I finally made it to Hawk Mountain. I set up my tent and filtered water for cooking. For the first time since I started, I ate a full meal. I got in my bag in my tent to warm up, The food helped warm me. I fixed my chest strap with a small carabiner. I still couldn’t believe I was on the trail. Tomorrow promised better weather, I looked forward to the sun. Again I slept little, adjusting to sleeping on the ground in a tent. I was more sore than I’ve ever been. The night passed slowly, I woke up frequently to the sounds of the woods.