Today’s hike to East Boundary Road wasn’t so much fun. I have to be honest. Trail angels Pat and Sue met me at East Boundary Road for the shuttle back to Tioga Beach Park. The forecast called for a partly cloudy day and zero chance of rain. Of course, it rained during the shuttle.
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Luckily, the rain stopped when I began to hike. I’d decided to use my smaller, lighter pack today to give myself a (physical) break. I like to carry a loaded pack to help prepare for my backpacking adventures. Unfortunately, I’d forgotten to toss the sunscreen and bug spray into the smaller pack.
Heading west from Tioga Park Beach, the trail goes into the woods for a mile or so (1-2 km). There was a clear marker pointing me to the right, but I went left on what I later realized was probably a mountain biking trail. That error added about a mile to my day. It also meant more time in the woods with the mosquitoes, sans bug spray.
Heading to East Boundary Road
When the trail popped me out on the road, my FarOut app said to start a road walk that would last the rest of the day. But I noticed a blazed trail going back into the woods on the other side of the road. I pondered what to do for a few minutes. Of 
course, I’d rather be on a trail than have a many-mile road walk.
However, I once ignored a road walk on the NCT in the U.P., as I also saw a blazed trail in front of me. After hiking in a few miles, the trail was blocked. I can’t recall if there was a huge blow-down or if a private landowner decided they didn’t want hikers on their land anymore. But the long and short of it was that I had to hike back out and take the road walk after all. I’d already made one error this morning and didn’t want to make it two. So onto the roads I went.
A Hot Day
The road walk was O.K., but there were so many cars and trucks passing by! I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising, as it’s the 
summer tourist season. The scenery was just average, and when the sun came out it got quite hot. I was happy when the day was finished.
Tonight I did laundry in Remer, then settled back in at the motel. Tomorrow my hubby joins me!
Snowshoe
MN NCT miles today: 18 (29 km)
MN NCT miles to date: 611.1 (983.5 km)
Total NCT miles to date: 2,629.6 (4,231.9 km)
Total NCT miles to go: 1,970.4 (3,171.1 km)
