The transient life is kind of a disgusting life, one filled with many hygienic compromises. I accused Ben of trying to do exposure therapy for my germaphobic tendencies. Today we hiked our 3.4 miles into town, had a delicious breakfast, and then checked into our cabins. To put it kindly, the bathhouses were less than appealing. What greeted us in the communal showers and toilets were overflowing trash cans, muddy stalls, empty soap dispensers, etc. The bunkhouses do sleep 5. However, there is only one single bunk. Another sleeps 1-2 and the loft area sleeps 2-3. It’s tighter quarters than we were all expecting. However, the $16/person price eases the discomfort for everyone.
A day off in town is not really a day off. First you have to be able to check into your accommodations. Then, there’s showers to be had and laundry to do. After you are caught up with that, you need to resupply and run any other errands. Some have to hitch into other towns to fix phones, get money, replace gear, or whatever else. Others may need to go to outfitters to look at new boots. You may have to send a package home. The list can go on and on. For Ben and I, we also have to edit photos and post on our website. A day off in town is not really a day off, but it does give your legs and feet some time to recuperate.
Today we only managed to do laundry and get in showers. After breakfast we checked into the hotel. Kirby and Lotus grabbed laundry detergent, body wash, and shampoo for the group. We took turns cleaning up then started in on the several hour line for laundry. Ben managed that while I tried to catch up on journaling.
Finally, when everyone was finished, hunger set in. We headed down to the Spring Creek Tavern, one of two diners open during the week. The place was filled with hikers. It’s like walking into Cheers – you see all of these people you know from the trail. Everyone is happy. There’s warm food, usually some sort of drink, and tons of laughter. I’m not going to lie, it’s a lot of fun.
After dinner we walked a little further down and grabbed a variety 6 pack of beer to enjoy while relaxing. I was happy and a little bit surprised to see Founders and other local Grand Rapids area breweries represented in the store. I did my due diligence and got a Rubaeus.
I ducked out for a bit and got to catch up with my sister – a long awaited conversation. When we were finished, I joined the group outside.
We spent the rest of the evening on the porch of our cabin laughing, sharing stories, and brainstorming. We are all connected right now, in this particular moment. In the coming weeks our paces may not match up and we may get separated on the trail. But for now we are here staying up too late, enjoying our dirty little cabin, showing off blisters, talking about chaffe, and laughing. We can’t worry too much about the future, we can only enjoy the now.
-ansel