In a blast from the past, I was the last out of camp this morning. Hi-Viz left first, followed by ranger rick and radar and I, after finishing my oatmeal and power bar, headed out last, just around 8am. 

I knew it was supposed to be a pretty big climb out of camp, so I just found my lowest gear and settled in for the climb. I slowly picked up one foot after the other as I climbed 1300 feet up. It wasn’t particularly steep but, especially without any chance to warm up before it, it was tiring. I celebrated up top with a power bar and all the water I could drink. 

I struggled to get any speed going for the next while. I was moving at my climbing pace, but the trail was flat to downhill. I tried to push it once but only succeeded in rolling my ankle slightly and so decided today was going to be slow. 

But then I caught hi-viz. we compared notes on our slow mornings. “I’m just waiting for the ice cream stop,” she said. I thought she was joking until she explained that there was a farm stand just down the road at the next road crossing in 3 miles or so. Suddenly I had the push I needed. I bid her farewell and basically ran the next three miles. 

I skidded around the corner to the farm and saw ranger rick and radar sitting out back. Before I could shout out any jubilations, ranger Rick just shook his head. “Closed as can be,” he told me. Radar barely even looked up. The sight of a dejected hiker. 

I sat in their yard for far too long. First with the other two and then alone. I hoped to all hope that somehow the store would magically open up and I’d get a milkshake. Or a burger. Or anything caloric and unhealthy. But instead I sadly ate my peanut butter tortillas and drank water from the lukewarm spigot. 

The last 9 miles to camp were long. I moved slowly through some of the worst marked and most overgrown trail yet to date. I consistently had to consult the phone to see where I was supposed to where I was supposed to go.

Especially given ranger Rick telling me at lunch that he thought he might have Lyme’s disease, I was thankful to be wearing my tick resistant long pants and long sleeves. 

Ranger Rick, radar and hi-viz were all at the shelter by the time I showed up. It’s nice to (even though I’m not actively traveling with this group) have some continuity over the days. I told hi-viz I had a bone to pick with her about the farm but she wasn’t apologetic in the slightest. “Look, I didn’t get any ice cream either.”

Hi-Viz and I sat up chatting past dark – talking about why we had come out here and why we’d stayed out here. What was wrong with people who kept doing this trail over and over again and how our experiences had been different doing it as a white man and a black woman.

She said almost every interaction she’d had so far had been great. Everyone was welcoming and inclusive. But there had been one creepy hiker and a very racist local that had definitely left their marks. but even with them, she was labelling her hike a huge success so far.

It was a nice evening. But as with all evenings out here, it was cut short by the urgent need to sleep. 

Key stats:

Miles: 22

Elevation gained: 6100 ft

Mile marker: 1742

Scoops of homemade ice cream: 0