Solo hike in strong thunderstorms! Fun times, and lessons learned.

Adventure was had! Fun for all!  Adrenaline and exercise are good!  :-)  Long hike taken (a little over 5 miles - see it at http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/88394176).  Several lessons learned:

1) Adding a combat medic pack to your take-everywhere go-bag, but then deciding it's going to be rainy so leaving the go-bag behind (even though everything in it is waterproof) because you're too freaking lazy to unpack it to dry it out, guarantees that you will need said combat medic pack.  This must be in the list of Murphy's laws of combat somewhere.

1b) Getting stung in the ear hurts like a motherfucker, particularly when you do not have your combat medic pack (and mirror) to see the stinger and venom sac so you can remove it before walking out and driving home.  This happened at about 6.5 kilometers.

1c) Finding out you're not allergic to that particular kind of stinging critter when you're out hiking alone in the middle of a moderately rugged forest area is lucky, but perhaps not so smart.  I will be calling the doctor to get an EpiPen to add to the combat medic kit.

2) When you think your blisters have "pretty much" healed enough that you don't need to put moleskin on them to go hiking ... you're wrong.

2b) Your blisters may be ok, but when you're wearing FiveFingers and then wade through a culvert during a severe thunderstorm, your feet get WET.  Duh.  Wet feet means soft skin.  Soft skin means your freaking blisters will come back.  Moron.  ;-)  The culvert was at 2 kilometers in, and then again at about 4.5 km.

3) Pace counting, even with Ranger beads, is a lot harder than you think, particularly when attacked by a stinging insect.  It does help, though, to hold the paracord with your thumb and index finger when counting from 1 to 100, but hold the next bead to move when counting from 101 to your 100 meter pace count.  Then slide the bead, and hold the paracord again.  That way, you don't have to remember which section of counting you're in.  Sounds dumb, but when you're tired and counting every step it can get confusing and screw up your distance.  Also it helps to hold the pace counting beads with your off hand, so your strong hand is available for your primary weapon.  (Is it weird that I would observe that?)

3b) When you think your pace count per 100 meters in dry conditions with trail running shoes "should be about the same" as your pace count in wet, slippery conditions, with sore feet and FiveFingers, you are very sadly mistaken.  I was a full kilometer over my actual distance, which is absolutely unacceptable.  I don't know what the actual military adjustment formula would be, but based on my error I would say for wet/slippery or night conditions, and/or minor injury or impairment, add 14 percent to your count.  In my case, I should have been using at least 156 as my pace per 100 meters instead of 136.  Of course, I might have just totally fouled up my pace counting, between inattentively sliding the klick bead instead of 100 m bead, and losing count when stung. Need more practice!

4) The strongest part of the severe thunderstorm will arrive just as you need to cross a large open field to reach your vehicle.  I swear, I must be a horrible person, 'cause Karma sure seems to be out to kick my ass.

5) I love - LOVE - hiking in the rain.  Rain or very heavy snowfall.  In rain, the trees hang down and you can hear water dripping everywhere.  The sound of rain in a forest is incredibly peaceful.  With snow, the air becomes very heavy, and sound doesn't travel, and it becomes unbelievably silent.  So silent, in fact, that you can hear the snowflakes landing.  At night with that much snow everything glows gently with reflected light.  Gorgeous.  This makes me want to through-hike a section of the Mason-Dixon or Appalachian Trails in the middle of the winter.


I'm going to slap some moleskin on my feet now.  And I'm really REALLY looking forward to my next hike.  Probably won't be until Thursday, because I want to make sure those blisters are _absolutely_ healed, but I'm going to try to push it out to at least seven miles.  Which means night hiking and navigation. Which I do without lights or NVGs. Ooh-Rah!  ;-)