Jeremiah & OWL decided to get up at 6:15 to be on the trail by 7…I decided to get up a little earlier to take my time. Got up around 5:50 and puttered around. I like waking up slowly. Ate a Little Debbie cherry pie – thanks to Wildcat back in Maryville for that tip. They have about 450 calories – perfect for breakfast when combined with my protein powder drink.
Jeremiah & OWL took off – I stayed in the shelter & talked on the phone with AWE for a few minutes while she was on her way to work. (Normally I would NEVER EVER talk on the phone in a shelter…especially at 7am…but I was the only one there!)
The walk into Daleville was pretty easy – a little rainy, a little foggy, not many views. Saw some pre-teen kids out scrambling around on the rocks. They told me about a trail they’d found that shows you a great view of the whole valley – “for if you come back…good luck!”. Cute.
Listened to last week’s This American Life podcast – had a story about a guy who walked across the US on a whim. His last words in the story…keep walking…seemed significant. Not much to look at on the walk today so I had lots of time to think. I have to be careful – I can make lots of justifiable excuses for coming home that no one would argue with – probably not even myself. But I need to give myself a chance to rest before I really think about it much further.
Just before I got to Daleville, I came across a honeysuckle ‘forest’ with honeysuckle bushes in bloom on both sides of the trail. I LOVE honeysuckles and hadn’t seen any yet this year. I just stood there in the midst of one of my favorite smells…and took deep breaths. (Even had a few drops of honey). Then it started to rain, so I hurried the last half mile into town.
The hotel is about 100 yards from the trail – really convenient. OWL & I got separate rooms – I need some alone time to relax completely. Took a shower, started laundry, went across the street to Pizza Hut for lunch, came back to the room and soaked in an Epsom salt bath while watching episodes of the Office on my phone. I am so tired. Am definitely taking a zero tomorrow to rest.
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