It was cold and wet as I packed up this morning. My fingers were pretty much useless as I tried to untie my hammock from the trees. I kept stopping to blow on my hands – trying to return feeling to them. It was crazy to think that just last week, I wasn’t even using the underquilt sometimes because it was as too hot. But last night it had dropped to right around freezing. 

Longing to return to the warmth of my sleeping bag, I knew I couldn’t. I ate a quick breakfast and then headed off with Viking and Rocket. I stopped to stretch after 10 or so minutes, once I was warm enough that stretching no longer seemed like it was as likely to snap a muscle as it was to limber me up. 

And then I was off for real. I walked quickly and steadily. The 11 miles from yesterday had done nothing to my knee. It still was continuing to feel better. And today, I decided, was going to be the day where I tested if I could walk at a semi-normal pace again. For 10 miles, could I stay cruising without feeling pain? 

I passed Viking quickly and then caught up to rocket. He and I walked together until we caught up to and passed second breakfast. He pulled over as we got close, “oh wow – looks like daddy long legs and the hairy tarantula are moving quick today.” He didn’t clarify who was who, but given that rocket is 6 ft and all legs and I haven’t groomed my hair since the Biden administration, it wasn’t hard to guess. 

I continued on feeling great. I wasn’t running or pushing it too hard. But I just felt, for the first time since leaving Damascus, that I was really hiking like I wanted to. Stopping when I wanted, not worrying about each stop, moving as fast as I wanted. It all came together. 

I stopped for a snack by the side of the river and watched groups pass me. It felt like it did a few weeks ago when groups passed as I was breaking – like I would see them again soon. There was no longer the egotistical dread that I would never be able to catch them again. 

When I recaught up to Deuce, he stopped me. “I know I joke around with you two, but it really did make me so happy to see you both moving so well today. It probably means you’ll leave us in your dust soon, but it still made me so happy.” It meant more coming from a man who is so rarely serious. I told him we still weren’t ready to push mileage yet, so hopefully we could keep the band together for a while. 

I got to woody gap right after rocket. We stretched a bit and then struck the pose which is growing more familiar – thumb out on the side of the road. We had agreed to meet Viking, deuce and adventurine at a hostel in Marian. It would let me pick up an underquilt my parents had mailed in (thanks mom and dad!), let rocket pick up a sleeping bag liner (he had swapped his out for a summer quilt and has been majorly struggling with the cold nights of late) and, of course, meant beds for all and dinner with friends. 

We had a ride within 30 minutes. A guy picked us up in his sprinter van. It was hard to understand his mumbles from my seat on the refrigerator in the back, but it sounded like his name was cookies and his girlfriend was currently thru hiking. He was helping her, and other hikers, out for the next bit before he drove out west to help out hikers on the pacific crest trail. 

I saw a sign for bicycle route 76, the trail I had followed across the country in 2018, and said something about it which led to him telling us that he had ridden the same route. 37 years before I had. We swapped stories – and by that I mean he grumbled a few stories I couldn’t hear to which I said “super cool!” And then told one of my own. It was a lovely ride to town. 

Lunch, dinner and the resupply were as expected but the highlight was an old theater in town. Deuce and I were walking around town looking for the train museum (closed unfortunately) when we wandered in. One of the workers there offered to give us a tour and soon we found ourselves walking around a 1920s movie theater turned multi purpose theater. It was gorgeous and very cool to listen to our impromptu Marrian Virginia history lesson 

It was a full on day and it’s all catching up to me. Tomorrow is back to the trail, but tonight will be spent in bed. 

Key stats:

Miles: 10

Elevation gained: 1800

Mile marker: 521

Pints of ice cream eaten: 1