Day 24: May 17, 2019
Destination: Pie Town, CDT Mile 424.6
Today’s Miles: 0
Start Location: Pie Town, CDT Mile 424.6
Trip Miles: 348.9
I went to bed early and woke up early. I actually woke up at 3:30AM to some incredibly thunderous snoring coming from the bunk above me.
It was shaking the room! I feel like that guy had to wake up with a sore throat, and probably hungry just from burning calories sawing all of that timber. It reminded me of some of the nights in shelters on the AT. Seriously, it was impressive! I definitely consider myself a snore connoisseur after the AT. Since I usually camp alone on trail, this was the first serious snore encounter on the CDT. I would definitely give it a 9 out of 10 for loudness, quality of the snorting aspect of the snore, and longevity. It could have scored a 10 if it had those pockets where the person gasps a little in between, but we didn’t quite get there. I almost laughed out loud in my bunk. At this point, it’s usually not hard for me to fall back asleep when someone is snoring loudly – it’s more of an amusement than anything. I wondered if anyone has ever rated my snores. I’m sure I do it from time to time. I hope that I have made someone’s rating scale at least once!
I went to Pie Town Cafe, excited that they were open again. I spent the morning hiking with the owners and helped Brad (one of the owners) transfer a huge pot of green chilies to a storage container. A hiker named Boot Scootin’ came in and sat down, followed by a guy named Armstrong. A lovely couple who had been camping locally sat down, and ended up giving us a bunch of their leftover camping food and paying for our breakfasts! It was incredibly kind of them! Their names were Karen and Gary from Jacksonville, FL. Karen actually looked a lot like my Aunt Betty, who also lives in Florida! We were overwhelmed by their generosity! A guy named Gaucho was sitting with us as well. He took the bag of supplies back to the Toaster House to distribute.
I was then delighted to see that my package (tent replacement part) arrived today! The post office had closed, but this means that I can get it early tomorrow morning and get my tent fixed. Therefore, I should be able to hike out as early as tomorrow! It felt almost like some kind of royal event that was finally here, finally happening. My chariot arriveth!
The blister on my left heel is still the X factor, though. I think it will be dry enough to tape tomorrow, but that one has been stubborn and is still a bit raw. I’ll have to make the call tomorrow. I only plan to hike 16 miles to a ranch with water on my first day out, but if I think I need to, I will wait until Sunday just to make sure my heel is good to go. As Dad would say, “Remember Damascus!” It would be crazy after this long to rush out a day too early. I am really hoping that this is the last of my blisters! Once I got through Damascus on the AT, I was ok – I’m hoping for samesies here. Samesies is a word, right?
I went back to the Toaster House and took a shower. It felt great! Eric came around inviting people back to his house again. I had that experience already, so I plan to hang at the hostel. I actually really feel like playing a guitar, but I don’t feel like doing so in front of others!
I’m really excited to get my tent sorted tomorrow morning. If you see an entry from me tomorrow, it’s probably because I am resting my foot another day. If you don’t, then I will have hiked north and will update in a week when I get to Grants. My gut tells me I might need one more day, just looking at my left heel, but who knows! It will be what it is tomorrow.
I’m back at the Pie Town Cafe now. I’m going to try their green chile pulled pork. After this, I’ll go back to the Toaster House and relax. At lunch today, Boot Scootin’ and I were talking about the cat we have been seeing around, a dilute calico. She came up with a great name for her: Fleopatra! There is a grey tomcat hanging around somewhere we are calling Mice Anthony. It’s a stretch…. I was hoping to see Fleopatra this evening, but she seems to be a morning cat. I thought about setting up some kind of Roman, Pie Town parade for her, complete with a reward snack from the hiker box (tuna packet). Alas, no queen.
It’s chilly today! Monday it is supposed to get down into the 20s and rain a bit, in Pie Town anyway. I’m sooooooo close to getting out of here! I can taste the trail. It tastes like green chilies!
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