Within the first ten minutes of the hike, the weight of my brand-new backpack was digging into my shoulders.
I had packed it a couple of days earlier and then walked around the house with it on, saying, “This isn’t so bad!” (That was before I’d added the food and water.) On the map I had traced the Baxter Creek trail up the side of Mount Sterling with my fingertip and said to my husband, “We can do it.” There was an easier way to make the climb, but this route was supposed to be more scenic.
