Day 134: Mother's Day on the Ruttenbur Trail

Steve's mother passed away in 1994 and my mom died in 2000, so on Mother's Day we remember their many gifts to us.  Since our sons live far away, we filled the day with hiking along the Ruttenbur Trail.  Because it was timbered last season, we had to assess the damage and see if we can take the kids along the trail or if we have to stick to the truck road.  Fortunately, the trail is stabilized and marked and all the debris has been cleared away.  The campsite we occupied for so many years is not recognizable, but we have found another lovely grove of pines where we will camp this Thursday night.

The wildflowers are different from what we usually encounter on the hikes.  I found only one red trillium blooming.  The rest have gone to seed.  We did not see any wild leeks, so we may not be able to make potato leek soup.  Jack in the pulpits are at their peak, though, so the kids will enjoy seeing them.  

After we left the trail, we drove down Housington Rd. to see if the gates were open so the supply truck can reach us.   Suddenly, I spotted a pepsi dispenser standing in the woods about twenty feet away from the road.  It was real, not a mirage!  So many times while hiking, we are dying for a pepsi.  It's not on our route, but it would have been hysterical to encounter that machine on the trail.

The weather forecast is for 70 degree days and only a little rain on Wednesday.  It should be a glorious expedition.  Tomorrow, we will be packing the food bags for each cook group and loading Al's supply truck.  A year's preparation will all come to fruition this week!