Today was a good day. We enjoyed a leisurely morning in camp before beginning the 3000 ft. climb up to Lookout Rock. Lookout Rock was pretty sweet and we ate lunch there. Speaking of lunch I made a Ramein/Cous-Cous combo that was pretty stellar. After lunch the terrain was gently rolling and we were able to pick up the pace a bit. I felt pretty strong considering I did 30 miles yesterday but I did feel the slightest twinge in my right knee. Just to be safe, I immediately began a regimen of some knee bending exercises I learned in PT and calf raises, the Peels cure-all, at each break.
I'm currently camped with Mr. Pibbs. Tourist, Mellow, and Nugs put in a few extra miles, but I didn't want to push it after such a big day yesterday. I'm planning to get up early tomrrow and either catch them along the trail or meet them in Belden. I think I'm about 17.5 miles out of town.
We're planning to stay with the Braatens, some trail angels who live right outside Belden tomorrow night. I'm planning to resupply at the small store in town. I should also be receiving a package containing maps for the next leg. The Braatens were going to pick it up for me since the PO won't be open tomorrow, but I didn't realize I was supposed to also call the postmaster to authorize release....Now I'm a bit worried they won't have been able to get it. Oh well.......I'll deal with that tomorrow if I need to.
We're getting close to the halfway point. This milestone is both exciting and daunting. While I don't want this trip to ever end, it's overwhelming to think about walking all these miles again. I feel like I'm married to the trail. There was the awkward sex phase early on, then the honeymoon phase where everything was wonderful, and now we're in the hard work phase. I still love the trail and haven't for a second wanted out, but like all relationships, some days come easily and others take a lot of work. The love is there, but we've had a few fights. The good news is that the challenging days make the great ones that much more special and I crawl into my bag every night knowing I've done the best I can. Also, I know I have the golden years to look forward to in Washington.
No comments:
Post a Comment