Mice and Men

Mice and Men
March 19th - Day 69
The wind howled over the mountain last night throwing sheets of rain against the hut. Throughout the night we were woke by mice inspecting our things. They definitely got a workout in because Shadow or I would flash our headlamps and they would run back into their hole. Most hikers put their trash in the stoves and the mice look inside to eat scraps. Not last night. The stove was hot and all the scraps were burned.
The rain continued this morning with low clouds. On and off throughout the day. Shadow and I went to work between the rain showers. We gathered wet wood to keep warm again tonight. Shadow attempted to use the dull hand saw and axe to cut down tree limbs into small pieces. I cleaned the foyer mainly full of kindling which was a perfect mouse bed. We stacked the wood and tried to use pieces of tin and rocks found under the hut to cover the mice hole.
The rest of the day was spent tending the fire, drying clothes, and resting. All while trying to eat our rationed food. It's easier not to eat while hiking, but spending the day with two food bags dangling from the ceiling (to keep mice out) is a different story.
The weather is forecasted to improve overnight and we head back out for 5 more days in the morning. My suspicions seem to be true. We are the only ones currently hiking the Richmond Mountains. Maybe this is the norm for us. We hiked the White Mountains and climbed Katahdin in weather like this. This difference for me is that I know there are other people around. But not here. Misery loves company.


Country Mouse and Shadow