Irish Wilderness Day One — Camp Five Pond Trailhead to Fiddler Spring

It was a loverly warm afternoon. At two pm I had to stop and get rid of some layers, have a bite to eat, and a drink. The South Loop was easy to follow, until, that is, I dropped down to Whites Creek, where it had been washed out in several places. But that’s par for the course.

I probably ought to change my strategy when it comes to losing the trail. If practical, I usually back-track or scout around until I find the trail again. A much quicker method would be just to get a compass bearing to a sensible point further down the trail and bushwhack my way until I find it again.

I had identified a potential area to set up camp near where the trail first meets Whites Creek. After looking around I concluded it would probably not get the sun first thing in the morning. As sundown was still a while off, I decided to carry on. Every yard I went today was a yard I wouldn’t need to hike tomorrow. I set my sights on stopping at Fiddler Spring, setting me up for a good climb up onto the ridge to start my hike tomorrow. As I passed by, I briefly toyed with the idea of stopping where I camped on the penultimate day of my last visit to Irish Wilderness, but I decided to stick with the plan and head off to Fiddler Spring.

I arrived at Fiddler Spring at four-thirty. I had (conveniently) forgotten how trashy the campsite at Fidler Spring is, but with the sun already down behind the ridge I made the best of it.

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