We woke up at the church and slowly got ready. Karma is still experiencing pain and it makes me sad to see my friend in so much pain. Having foot and knee pain can be debilitating and super frustrating. I must say she is a trooper though. She hikes way faster than me and when she smiles we all smile. We need more Karma’s in the world. If I am crying (because of pain) she always comforts me and instantly makes me feel better. Karma and Mountain Man are going through their packs trying to eliminate more unnecessary weight, something we really need to do!
When we finally all got ready and packed up we walked out of the church and a man stopped his car in the church parking lot and asked us if we needed a ride back to the trailhead. We didn't ask or anything. The people in Vernon have been incredible and friendly. We are so thankful for people like this gentleman. When we told him we needed to go to the post office to send some items home he said he'd meet us over there. Sprout and I split up and I went to post office and he went to Burger King to get us all some BK to eat at the trailhead.
We saw Disco, Chicken Foot, Whiskers and M. Worm at the post office too. When we got dropped off we sat under pine trees and ate our burgers and hotdogs (BK now has hotdogs, wow). By coincidence we saw the two section hikers we met at the church the night before. They stopped and talked to us and then when I asked if they would take our BK garbage they said "of course" we are very thankful for that. Nice guys.
When we started hiking we immediately climbed "Stairway to Heaven" a 900 to 1000 foot climb mostly made out of stone steps. It was a toughie but totally worth it. The view at the top was breathtaking and we could see the monument from high point state park. It was exciting to see how far we had walked. There were two ladies drinking a bottle of wine and they kept making me laugh. They had been friends for 40 something years and it reminded me of all my close girlfriends at home and how lucky I am to have such a great group of friends. Blessed beyond belief.
When we got to the top of the mountain there was a trail register with a note from Toesack and HazBen letting us know there was trail magic just past the next shelter that we were heading to. The hike was relatively easy and we only hiked just over 5 miles. After we quickly set up our tent we headed for the magic. We didn't even set up our rain fly.
When we got to the trail magic we were so happy. Trish was an awesome woman who made us all smile with her generous heart and great stories. If I lived close to her I would definitely try to hang out with her. We talked about her garden which made me miss my own. I can't wait for next summer! I want to have a garden bigger than my house. It's one of the most rewarding feelings to grow your own food. Trish works for Campmor. She gave us t-shirts. I didn't want to carry the extra weight but I thought "I love this shirt and this lady and I want to remember this forever" so I took the shirt. She had veggies, pasta salad, brie, apples, wine, beer, and a big smile!! She was there with another woman who was celebrating a birthday! She was also friendly but I can't remember her name! Grrrr. I hate that. She was worth remembering.
Mountain Man, Karma, Toesack, HazBen, Disco, Chicken Foot, Whiskers, M. Worm and Wanna Chair were all here celebrating in this glorious occasion. We all laughed and got to know each other better. My heart was so happy to be surrounded by such lovely people in such a great place. We headed back to the campsite and ate more food and all got to know each other better. Disco, Chicken Foot, and Whiskers are going to New York City for a few days and Whiskers has never been. I hope we see them again so I can hear all about their adventures. :)
Today we hit 500 miles. What a feeling. We are actually doing it! I feel really proud of myself. I am doing this for my momma. I want her to know how much I love her and if she can't walk or adventure I am going to do it for both of us. But I miss her.
Tomorrow is a new day and I am so excited for it.
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| View from the top of Stairway to Heaven |
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| Sprout and I |
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| Having fun making great friends! |
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