Today was a long day of hiking. We topped yesterday to make it our biggest day yet! Our goal is to get to Damascus by mid-morning tomorrow to try to grab a private room at one of the hostels. We tried to call ahead but most hostels don't take reservations, especially for bunk rooms.
I'm running low on food, so when we passed some trail runners a few miles into the day and they mentioned they had left donuts in a parking lot, it's all I could think about. We picked up our pace to make sure we scored some of that trail magic. Well, the trail runners were obviously moving much faster than we were and probably underestimated our pace. About two hours (or 5-7 miles) later, we finally found the donuts! Dang! We kept thinking they must be just around the next bend in the trail. Nope. They were delicious though! Dunkin Donuts! They even left a sweet message on the box (misspelled Damascus but that's alright).
I had a powdered sugar donut filled with custard (I've been craving a jelly donut for weeks) and one with pink and green frosting. Sooooo good!
Right before the donuts we found more trail magic! A church had left an orange metal box in the woods filled with snack foods and a cooler of sodas. I ate four snack cakes and had half a can of Dr. Pepper. That and the donuts were my lunch. I didn't have to dig into the food in my pack at all, so I'll definitely have plenty of food to get to Damascus without having to ration.
Some guy I've been calling Blue A-hole (to myself, of course) has been hiking near us these past few days. Earlier today we came across two deer. Bluebird stopped to pull our her camera and get a photo. Blue A-hole walked up behind her and when she told him about the deer he shouted "Photo bomb!" and raised his poles as he walked right in front of her. The deer ran away and she didn't get a photo. What a jerk.
Today we passed the Nick Grindstaff monument. I'm not sure who he was. His tombstone was falling over and was tied to the rock tower monument with some rope. The tombstone said, "Lived alone. Suffered alone. Died alone." Harsh! I don't know what would be worse. Did he pick that epitaph or did his "next of kin"?
We got to a road at a gap and met a man in a pickup truck named Polar Bear. He has been visiting the gap for 30 years. He took our photos and said Bluebird and I were the prettiest hikers he'd seen so far. Ha! I feel so far from pretty out here. Just dirty and stinky and like one of the guys.
My knee started bothering me after 19 miles but I don't blame it. I put my brace back on for the last part of the day. I'm so tired and ready for bed. It's amazing how much dirt gets between my toes considering I hike with liner socks, hiking socks, and gaiters. One of life's great mysteries.
Best Thing: Double trail magic!
Looking Forward To: Getting to Damascus tomorrow!
Donuts would have inspired me as well......
ReplyDeleteYou are quickly moving up the map :)
Love you!