Today we walked to Vernon, New Jersey. We had to grab a mail drop from town so Sprout took off early to get there on time. I don't mind hiking by myself. I don't have to try to keep up to anyone else's pace. I can stop and rest and enjoy my hike, and that's exactly what I did today. I stopped for lunch and made a new dish. Ramen with the water drained, the flavor packet, tuna and mayo. It was actually pretty good. I was surprised. Chef Mag in the house!
I walked across the famous boardwalk, which was awesome. The suspension bridge was memorable. There were nice benches to sit on and be happy on the boardwalk. When I got close to the road, to walk into Vernon, there was another farm field. I was worried to walk past cows again, especially without Sprout, but I survived.
I got to the road and tried to hitchhike and about 30 cars passed me. I thought, “Darn I'm going to have to walk into Vernon.” I started to walk down the busy road and thought I’ll try one more time, and bam, I successfully got a ride hitchhiking for the first time! When I put my pack in the trunk I realized I didn't need to grab my knife off my hip belt because there were two smiling small children in the car. That made me feel a lot better and safer. The dad was taking the kids to the public pool. They were really sweet and kind and I will never forget them, however I forgot their names! Haha.
When I got to the church hostel I was so happy. It is probably the nicest place we have stayed. There was a free washer and dryer to use with detergent. They had ice cream in the freezer. There was a "hiker area" with couches and a tv. Books and DVDs galore. They sold fuel there at cost and had a huge medical box in case you needed something. The lady running it, I think her name was Eileen, was awesome. She said it's the last year for this hostel though because the church is closing in October. That made me sad. The church was nice and the people even nicer. They asked for a donation and sign said all money went towards running the hostel.
Karma and I are both experiencing some pain. My feet are bothering me and Karma's knees and feet are bothering her. We are the splendid sore sole sisters so it makes sense that we would be in pain. :) we used Epsom salt rub on our feet and acted like that cured all.
We met two gentlemen at the church who have been section hiking since 2000. They hike a day and then go and sightsee. I thought that was pretty cool. You get a totally different experience. You can still see the trail but also see things and towns around it.
We got pizza for dinner and sat with Karma and Mountain Man. I can't express how much I enjoy being around them. They make this journey so much better. I love hearing about their lives and how different things are in Switzerland. We have made lifelong friends and I couldn't be happier with my trail family. Smudgy Cheeks was at the hostel too to split up our last food drop together. I am excited to see how much faster he hikes than us :)
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