The hike itself was fairly staid. My plan was to hike to at least the Boone Scout campsite, or maybe even to Calloway Peak. But I was hampered by getting out of breath early and staying that way. I was also plagued by clouds of some kind of mosquito-like bugs that stayed in my eyes, ears and nose. I have been on this mountain hundreds of times over 50 years and I don't remember ever seeing flying bugs, much less in swarms like this, much less during the last week in October. Strange! Lastly, the weather report had predicted clear, sunny skies all day. By early afternoon the wind had kicked up and the gathering clouds were darkening like it was about to rain. So, out an abundance of wimpiness, I turned around early and headed back down the trail.
It was still great to get outdoors for a few hours.
