We had been traveling in the wrong direction for a long time

Cohos Trail, Day Two: Stairs Mountain to Dry River

We rose at 6am on our first full day on trail, knowing thunderstorms were forecast for mid-afternoon.

While we fell asleep quickly the night before—by 8:30pm—we woke less than two hours later. I became preoccupied with anxiety about our bear bag. This was our first time using the Ursack, a soft-sided, bear- and critter-resistant bag, and after watching a…