USFS 71 1635.7 (0 miles, 610.3 total miles)
It was rather cramped in the car last night, so it was tough to sleep, but mostly because my legs and feet hurt so bad. It was raining in the morning, and I just knew that I wasn’t going to be able to hike, both physically and mentally. I needed a zero.
It stressed me out, because it meant I would fall even further behind most of the Cult, but I needed to rest after hiking 110 miles in six days. Tater and I drove 25 minutes to the closest diner that was open for breakfast.
The Townshend Dam Diner only offered outdoor seating, but they had a couple tables under an awning that were out of the rain. We sat next to a grandmother, mother, and two young daughters who were on a trip to the area.
The food was delicious, and Tater was happy to spend the day with me taking a zero. We drove another 25 minutes to Manchester Center, which was the closest trail town to where we were.
When we got to town, we stopped at a NAPA to have a code scanned on Tater’s car. We also went to the post office so I could send my boots back to Barrington Outfitter, and I called Ashley to let her know they were going to be on the way.
From there, we went to the Mountain Goat Outfitter, and I finally found another pair of the Injinji sock liners I really love. We saw a couple of hikers who I hadn’t met yet but Tater knew, Gooseboots and another hiker named Hummingbird, and we all lamented the fact that the pinball arcade in town was closed for the day.
In fact, just about everything that sounded fun in town was closed. I even considered getting a pedicure, but the salon was closed too. We figured the universe was trying to help us save money, but generally speaking a lot of things are closed on Monday’s.
So we decided to drive to the VFW, where there was free camping and go from there. On our way, we saw a hiker trying to hitch out of town, so we turned around to go pick him up. His name was Eastbound, and he was from Canada, here section hiking MA to NH on the AT.
Eastbound mentioned he’d thru hiked the PCT in 2015, and I knew Jedi had hiked a lot of it in either 2015 or 2016. So I showed Eastbound a picture of Jedi, but he didn’t recognize him.
After an eight minute drive, we got to the trailhead parking, and from the backseat I heard Tater say, “I think that’s Jedi right there.” I said, “No way,” and as we pulled in saw that the Cult were all in the parking lot having lunch.
I was so happy to see them, and it was so serendipitous. I knew they were in that general area, but had planned on skipping Manchester, so I was completely surprised.
They were surprised to see me, too, as I hadn’t mentioned yet that I had taken a zero. I was sad about it, and didn’t want them to worry about me. Platinum’s mom, Nance, was there as well and had hiked with them for the last day or two, so I got to meet her.
Neon was having an issue with his foot, so was driving back to Plat’s house with Nance so it could get better. Tater asked me if I wanted to jump up and hike with my friends, and of course I wanted to, but I said I wouldn’t.
It was tempting, because I had already hiked all of the VT section before, but that wouldn’t sit right with me. I didn’t want to skip anything if I didn’t need to, or feel like I had to go back and complete a section later.
We spent about an hour or two with the group, eating some food and having a fun time just being with them. It was a really bittersweet thing, because I was so happy to have the unexpected time together, but it hurt my heart that I wasn’t hiking with them.
After lunch, they all said bye to Neon, Nance, Tater, and I, and hiked out. As we drove back to town, I checked how close Manchester was to the trail where I’d left off and it was a 50 minute drive.
I started to feel overwhelmed with everything, so Tater and I drove to a nearby park and laid out a blanket in the shade to think and plan what to do next.
He said there was a spot near the trailhead I’d stopped at that one of us could set up a tent and the other could sleep in the car, so we’d both have more room to spread out. I definitely wanted to do that, and I could get on trail earlier in the morning.
If he slackpacked me for two more days, I could try to knock out a 25 mile day and a 26 mile day, and catch up with everyone else in Rutland on Wednesday evening. It would be ambitious, but entirely possibly after spending a day off my feet.
From there, it would be three more 20s to get to the pickup point for July 3rd-5th at Plat’s house. I wasn’t sure if I could pull it off or not, but I was willing to at least try and see what happened.
Either way, Baked Potato is going to Plat’s as well and said he would drive me from wherever I was to get there. After that, it would all just really depend on how my body was feeling and what sort of miles would be planned.
I certainly don’t want to slackpack more than necessary to catch back up, but I’m super fortunate to have the opportunity to do so, especially with how my left foot and ankle have been feeling.
We spent some time organizing Baked Potato’s car and all my stuff, getting everything ready for tomorrow. We went to a place called Mulligans Pub for dinner, where I had wings, a steak salad, a strawberry margarita, and we split a brownie sundae.
After dinner we drove back to where we could set up a tent and turned in early, so I could get an early start on the day. I would have a couple bail out spots tomorrow if I wasn’t feeling up to the 25 as well.
Tater has been amazing, and though I still get feelings of guilt and not being deserving of help like I did back in PA and NJ, I am trying to do my best to overcome those negative thought patterns.
He came to the trail this year specifically to help hikers and do trail magic, and I can tell it genuinely makes him happy to do so. I’m a bit over budget for the month of June (bought too many shoes, of course), but I plan on giving him a good donation for gas money next month for all his help.
The trail is amazing yet exhausting, but I see myself learning to take things in stride much, much better than I used to be able to. I still have emotional ups and downs, but the trail has been teaching me to just concentrate on the next step in front of me and focus on what I can control.
It has also definitely been teaching me flexibility in my planning and being able to accept when things don’t go according to what I want, and how to better cope with that. I have learned the meaning and value of friendship out here, but that at the same time to remember I am capable of being okay by myself, too.
I feel like every day I learn a new lesson, and it’s truly only possible to take this trail one day at a time. All the itineraries in the world can’t account for nature and humanity, and the plethora of different ways a single day can deviate off its course. It’s good to plan, but best to plan for change.