The shelter we were in last night had a thick coat of paint on the floor. This is unusual, and with my air mattress caused so much noise that at 3am I was forced to move outside. I slept on the unpainted wood slats in front of the shelter from that point on, and was glad they hadn't decided to paint those as well. I couldn't move my foot, let alone take a deep breath, without a plastic on plastic sticky creak waking everyone up.
Mr. Fantastic started the day off right with his Hall and Oates Pandora station. I have to agree with him, that it may quite possibly be the greatest thing that has ever happened in music. We were both feeling much more chipper, which was a good thing since we had 21 miles ahead of us WITH a stop in town. A feat we have never before accomplished.
Butter started out before us, I believe with the intention of making it to the road at the same time we did so she could hitch with us. We passed a good number of people on the trail this morning, including some section hikers, and one guy going for a quick-paced jog. 5 miles into our hike we caught up with Butter, and she followed for the last 2 to the road.
We weren't having a ton of luck hitching, but thankfully the jogger we had passed earlier saw us and offered up a lift. He actually brought us to a town further away than our plan, so Butter could look for a phone charger at the CVS, and then even waited while we did a resupply at the Safeway. After that he dropped us off at the Subway, where we thanked him profusely. He's the first ride we've gotten from a stranger who has waited for us to shop, and that was pretty spectacular.
Lunch was wonderful, made especially so due to Butter's newbie nature. She was loving every minute of the experience and couldn't believe how amazing her sandwich and soda were after a quick and dirty morning hike. I think her optimism was quite infectious.
We caught a ride back pretty quickly, and got to take our usual seat in the back of a pick-up. The locals were then treated to Butter hooting and hollering her joy at such an event, and we were again reminded of how special, strange, and freeing what we're doing is. Our driving angel made quick work of the curving mountain roads while we all absorbed the day in our own way.
Back on the trail at 1pm with 14 miles to go, we told Butter she could and should try to keep up, but I don't think any of us expected it. She dropped off after a couple of miles and we unfortunately didn't get a chance to say goodbye. But hey, that's what Facebook is for.
We hiked onward to another shelter for a snack and rest, where we met an older couple who thru-hiked in 2006. They were on a trip with a blind couple through Maryland, and we all shared stories and advice. Apparently the blind couple are kicking some ass, which is always amazing to hear about. The gentleman apparently even went to the base camp of Everest to be there when the first blind person summited. Pretty crazy!
The last 5 miles were the hardest, as everything over 16 always is. We felt our feet getting their usual amount of pounding, but were ecstatic with the cooler weather. The body can do amazing things when it isn't bogged down by thick humid 100 degree air. We felt strong again, for the first time in a while. I finished with my muscles, heart, and lungs all feeling healthy and great. Sore feet we can manage.
At our final shelter we met 3 guys in their 60's and 70's who planned on section hiking the 40 miles of trail in Maryland, today being the end of their first day. We shared a lot of info with them, and they asked questions with a voracious appetite. We've had a lot of days in a row of feeling like experts out here, and it's been great to share stories and the sorts of simple things we've learned. I think we're both feeling like we're truly back on the trail now, having had one bad day together, and now one good. Maybe our cycles are just aligning, I'm not sure.
Tomorrow is only 18 miles, with another quick romp into town. We have a wedding to look forward to, and visits from a few random friends. Most immediately though we can be excited to finish Maryland tomorrow and begin our Pennsylvanian adventure. Here's looking forward to lots of rocks!
P.S. At 9:20 Butter rolled in, quite ecstatic with her amazing progress in just a single day. Her plan is to go 100 miles, but at this rate she may crush a bit more trail than just that.
