Night 99

Hi and welcome back!

Last night was a little warmer than the previous night (high 60s). I was surprised, because unlike Monday night I wasn't hot at all. I slept well until my mom woke me up at 6:20, because my dad had overslept.

Since my dad didn't wake me up this morning I didn't hike until this afternoon. My dad was stuck in traffic on the way home from a meeting so, just Maisy and I hiked. Halfway up the hill it started to drizzle, which was bad because I had a cotton t-shirt on and I didn't have a rain jacket with me. Thankfully it stopped not too long after that. We had a pretty good time up of 11:30.

Thanks for reading!

Night 98

Hi and welcome back!

I would like to welcome the new viewer(s) from the country of Georgia.

Last night it was the warmest night yet. I slept without a RidgeRest beneath me, with the 40 degree bag unzipped and draped over me like a blanket and yet I was still hot. My dad came out at about 12:00 and slept in the 20 degree bag (that was zipped up) with the thermostat lining with a RidgeRest beneath him and he said that he wasn't hot at all.

This morning my dad and I tried to go as quickly as possible again today. We had an even better time today than yesterday of about 10 minutes. Thankfully Maisy stayed with us today because our neighbor warned us about seeing a coyote in the field right behind our house.

Thanks for reading!

Night 97

Hi and welcome back!

Even though it was pretty warm last night, I woke up freezing at about 2:00 a.m.  I moved from the 40 degree Slumberjack bag to the warmer, 20 degree North Face bag with the thermostat lining, and that was better.

Our Mouse Beagle

When my dad and I hiked today it was actually in the low 70s!  We were trying to go fast and light so I would have time to post, and as a result our time to the top was 10:40 and 21:45 round trip.

And in case you were worried, Maisy came home last night around 8:20.  She wandered off again today, and when mom, my sister E--- and my brother J-- found her, they said she was rolling in a dead mouse.  Mom wants dad to give her bath, but he's saying she doesn't need one.  I think she will probably win.

Thanks for reading!

Nights 95 and 96

Hello and welcome back!

First, welcome to the new reader from Malaysia! I've heard that Malaysia is really hot. We could have used that warmth here a few months ago...

Mt. Kilimanjaro

The answer to Friday's trivia question is Tanzania (dad insisted it was Kenya, but he was wrong). Mt. Kilimanjaro is 19,341 feet tall, and the youngest person to climb it was just 8 years old.

Yesterday my whole family hiked together, because it was in the 60s and sunny. We just went around the field to the pond where the tree frogs were at their loudest.

Last night it was in the low 50s. Because of the warm weather, I slept underneath the unzipped 40 degree bag and without a RidgeRest (which insulates you a tiny bit). Maisy slept with me again.  She went out to the tent with me around 10:00, and we slept in until about 7:00 this morning.

J-- Going the Hard Way

Dad, J, and I hiked down to the pond after dinner tonight. J especially had a lot of fun. Coming up out of the hollow where the creek flows to the pond, he insisted on climbing over a bunch of dead logs, even though there was a clear path just to his right.

Maisy wandered off while we were hiking, and as of this minute she still hasn't come home. I'm sure she will, though.  She knows where we live, and she has to come home if she wants dinner!

Thanks for reading!

Night 94

Hi and welcome back!

Last night I got out to the tent at about 10:15 exhausted. My dad said that he would come out but he never did which didn't necessarily surprise me. We did not hike this morning because I fell asleep so late and because my dad slept in.

My dad and I just hiked about an hour ago in the dark when it was about 50 degrees out. Our time was about 13:30 and because of the good time we opened a bag of Power Bar Energy Blasts which were very good. They are gummies with a tiny bit of energy gel in the middle.

This week's trivia question is: what country is Mt. Kilimanjaro (the highest peak in Africa) located?

Thanks for reading!

Nights 92 and 93

Hi and welcome back!

On Tuesday night, when it was about 30 degrees, my dad slept out with me, which he hasn’t done in quite a while.  When he came out I refused to give him the 20 degree sleeping bag that I was in (he usually hogs it), so he ended up in the only other bag we had out with us which was rated to 40 degrees.  He complained. A lot.

The Capitol from the Mall

Yesterday when my dad and I hiked at 5:50 in the morning it was about 5 degrees colder than it had been at midnight when he came out. Neither my dad nor I can remember exactly what our time was except that it was under 12:30.

Last night Maisy slept out yet again. She started out on the bed that she made but ended up in my sleeping bag with me. At about 2:00 I woke up and noticed my one sock was off and I couldn’t find it. My foot started to feel as if it had some frostnip on it but thankfully Maisy started licking it which made it feel much better. 

My dad and I had to wake up at 4:45 today so we could go down to Washington D.C. with his co-author. Unfortunately we did not have time to hike before leaving, and we were going to get home very late so we had to hike in D.C. We walked around for about 30 minutes checking out the outside of the Capitol building and some of the monuments before getting lunch.

Thanks for reading!

Nights 90 and 91

Hi and welcome back!

Maisy slept outside once again on Sunday night. Instead of sleeping in my sleeping bag and keeping me up while she chewed her bone she slept on top of the extra bag that I had at the foot of the tent, which she turned into a little bed.

Green Grass at the Pond

Yesterday my little brother hiked with my dad and me in the afternoon. We went around the field to the pond instead of going all of the way up. J-- carried my hiking stick to the pond, where he dropped it in the water, but thankfully my dad was able to fish it out with his stick.

This morning my dad's alarm didn't wake him up, so he never woke me up to hike.  We hiked about 5:30, and we hiked separately because he needed to take my brother to soccer practice. He left about ten minutes before me to just go around the field, while I went all of the way up the hill.

Halfway up the hill Maisy (who had been hiking with my dad) ran up to me and followed me the rest of the way up the hill. I had an especially good time of 10:53.

Thanks for reading!