Last night, the weather forecast told me there was a 0% chance of rain, so I decided to sleep in my hammock. With no tarp or rain cover – the best way to use a hammock. It was a wonderful recline… until it started to rain. I was trying to think of what to do. My sleepy instinct was to cover myself with hammock fabric and fall back asleep. It worked for a time, but I was getting wet and pretty uncomfortable.

I packed up my hammock and began hiking. The rain let up soon after, but I was not all that bitter about it. It actually was pretty nice. Sure, it was very dark and lonely, but I listened to podcasts and sang songs to keep myself company. I felt bad about leaving Teabag behind, but I think he had dove for the shelter of his tent at some point.

The cool air was awesome to hike in. I had been hiking for hours and was barely sweating. Dry shoelaces and all! I watched the sun come up through the trees and enjoyed the quiet morning air, mist slithering around in valleys below.

After some time, I reached the town of Port Clinton. Because it was still so early, I was barely phased by the morning miles. I got some groceries and some letters and talked to a few locals. A girl named Sarah tried to trade me a Sriracha tshirt for my hat. I said I would only trade it for another hat.

Still haven’t found Teabag yet, but I’m sure I will soon. After a few hours, I headed back into the woods. Since then, I have had three hikers say to me, “Doesn’t it feel good to be back in the woods?” Yes. Yes, it does.