Difficult sand mounds
I must be weak. I found the first 13 miles NW of the road very rough. The train was deep sand with hard sand mounds dotted continuously throughout the trail. Walking was a bear. I was hemmed in by a barbed wire cattle fence on the East and tall grass for a sand bogged potholes on the West. I stay motivated by remembering that this part of the trail would have been nearly impossible to navigate if it had been flooded as it likely was just a few weeks ago.
But, all is not lost the day ends up with a walk through tall grass and trees that had shed thousands of brown pine needles covering what otherwise would have been rough ground. And I am able to end the day at the trails ends in the tall grass and tree shaded retreat guarded by high fire observation towers.