My total mileage for the trip was 22.02 miles, with 1,875 ft. of elevation climbed. Three days later (March 4), my left foot is still swollen, though getting much better every day. My right heel is still heeling (sic).

What Worked

Well, I’m very glad I opted for this three-day hike, rather sticking with my original plan of four days on the Berryman trail. Not only would that have involved an extra night out, but also another five miles of hiking.

Honorable mentions:

• Running shorts. These were great. I ended up wearing them on all three days, even on the final windy day which ended up at round 41°F.
• 500 ml water bottle. Worked great it easily slips in and out of my pack’s side pocket. It took me ages to find a tall skinny bottle, but my efforts paid off. I most definitely didn’t want to be putting electrolytes into my one-liter Platypus, when I might be using the water for cooking.
• Clothing. My layering plan worked very well. My Bass Pro waffle base layer with the fleece pants, merino wool shirt, and down hoody was fine for the 27°F morning, and the cool windy nights. Normally, I would also have carried an additional light weight down jacket in lieu of a jumper. I had one on order, but it hadn’t arrived when I left.
• Hammock Bug Net. Because of the warmer temps, I thought the bugs might be out. They were. Several mosquitoes bit me. The bug net kept them off and helped keep the warmth in on the cold night.
• Quilt choice. Despite the 27°F night going with the 40°F top quilt was fine. If I had also brought along the 40°F bottom quilt, I think it would have been a cold, miserable night.
• Meds. I packed a lot; fortunately, I didn’t need any extras.
• First Aid Kit. After many years of neglect and taking up pack space this seems to be coming into its own. But hopefully it doesn’t end up on this list too often.

What didn’t work, and what I didn’t use

• Feet. I’m puzzling over what caused my Bedrock sandals to rub a big hole in my right heel. I’ve hiked over one hundred trouble free miles on them prior to this trip. The jury, as they say, is still out on what caused this to happen.
• Wood Stove. I didn’t use my wood stove this trip, but this time it was only because there was a burn ban in place.
• Tarp. I opted not to set the tarp on both nights. I might not have used it, but I’m not sure I’d ever leave it behind.
• Meals. The meals were fine, but not quite calorie dense enough. I need to pack more food.

Lessons

• Hiking Poles. I was putting away my hiking poles when I noticed the tip was missing on one, and it had significantly worn down the plastic end of the pole. Checking my backpacking logs, I first took the pole hiking in October 2020, and I have hiked over 600 miles with it.
  
  Note to self: Regularly check the carbide tips on my hiking poles. I had a spare bottom section of a hiking pole at home, and it was easily replaced.
• Gear Check. Always perform a gear audit before leaving. Because of the delay between packing and leaving, I couldn’t remember if I’d packed certain items. Turns out I had, but I could have saved myself some time on the trail unloading stuff to check if I did.

All in all, the issues were minor, and I thoroughly enjoyed the hike. Paddy Creek and Irish Wildernesses are becoming firm favorites, with decent length loop trails, and not too popular during the week. I met two hikers on the trail and saw two more go by in the distance while I was camped.

Now I need to stabilize these annoying health issues so I can get some more trail miles under my belt.

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