I didn’t sleep well. The winds picked up and kept me awake for much of the night, which meant that 7:30a came way too early for me. Atlas was already up and starting to leave camp by then, a rarity because he likes to sleep in. Lotus wasn’t too far behind. Kirby, Warthog, and I left together at 8:30a. Snow Monkey and Wonder Woman were the last to leave.
We walked a bit through more paddocks where we were greeted again by livestock. Warthog tried to befriend a cow, but she really wasn’t having any of it.
We had 16.8 miles to the shelter we planned on staying at tonight. It was an easy enough day. There were a couple of decent pushes uphill but an equal amount down. We had lunch around mile 8.9 next to a river. Just before getting there, Warthog saw a bear running away from us up the hill. I was bummed to miss it. I heard the rustling, but didn’t really turn to look.
We took a mid afternoon break near the side of the road. While we were there, a truck pulls up with hikers in the back of it. It was three people we hadn’t seen since Hot Springs: Trekking Poles (now Cookie Monster), Joy Hiker, and her husband SOL. It was fun seeing faces that we thought were way ahead of us. Earlier in the day we saw Milk and Cookies too. They have all reassured us that even though we feel like we are behind our bubble of hikers, we actually aren’t too far off.
The afternoon miles flew by. I think it was the games we were playing. Kirby would ask things like, “If you could have any superpower, what would you have?” Or, “If you were stuck on a remote island, what three things would you bring for survival?” Then we played Would You Rather and when Lotus joined up, she suggested Two Truths and a Lie.
We rolled into camp just before 6p, impressed at the time we made. The area is humid and it’s the first time I’ve seen mosquitos. We ate like kings tonight since tomorrow we resupply. We had our pre-meal snacks, our dinners, dessert, then another dessert, and I topped it all off with a cup of warm tea. As if on cue, just after we were finishing dinner, the rain started. Some of us dived for our tents. Others waited in wetness. It didn’t last too long, but long enough for me to get comfy and ready for bed – something I’ve been waiting for since 7:30a.
– ansel