The Long Trail : Day 7 : Part 1 : 9/27/20 . It was a short mileage day but a good day, one that ran the full gamut of emotions. We were able to wake up slow knowing we had just under two miles to the road and The Inn at The Long Trail. In short order we were at our first “town” stop of the trip and it felt good to view our progress. . We made it to our box, restaurant food awaited, and a place to charge our electronics was readily available. It was all I needed to recharge my mental batteries as well. While waiting on the restaurant to open, we unloaded and repacked our resupply for the next section and called our friends and family. Then I quietly sat in the grass, staring up at the sky and trees with my head resting on my pack. Did I look like a vagrant sitting in the grass at the Inn, totally unwashed? Maybe, probably. But in that very moment I didn’t care, I simply felt relaxed. . Relaxed isn’t the norm for me in town. Usually I feel a little on edge when we arrive at any establishment. Will they welcome hikers? Will they let us recharge our things? Is there a special, out of the way, place they want “us” to be? It feels a little like navigating a new school or new job with each new place. . The rules change at each establishment and you feel a little indebted to these perfect strangers. They hold our packages, let us loiter, and sometimes even offer us rides or food. The only way to attempted and even the scales is to patron their businesses. Sometimes you can and sometimes you can’t, it just depends on the circumstances. . Maybe it’s not about balancing the scales. Because, to be honest, hikers just can’t. The kindnesses we experience are a gift not a barter system. I’m learning to enjoy them as such regardless of how uncomfortable it makes me feel. . You may not agree with my beliefs and that’s fine but I always do my best to be my whole, real self for y’all in this space. And I would be skipping over a huge part of my life if I didn’t talk about how these kindnesses give me a tangible picture of the grace of God. I have done absolutely nothing to deserve the gift of saving grace but God gave it to me anyway. He loved me in my ugliest state and made a way, through his son, Jesus, for me to have abundant eternal life. That is certainly over simplified but I’m thankful thru hiking puts me in vulnerable situations that allow me to see and even feel the weight of God’s kindness, even in the simplest of way.

The Long Trail : Day 7 : Part 2 : 9/27/20 . It was time to eat our first taste of town food in over a week. I did my best to hide my smell as we were shown to our table. I soon forgot to be self conscious of my smell as visions of delicious hot food brought literal tears to my eyes. . Like it or not, I’m about to give you a play by play of my meal. We started with stuffed potato skins smothered with corned beef and cheese. Next up were two decadent sandwiches we split. The first was an open faced turkey and apple sandwich with vermont cheddar. It was served on a thick slab of homemade soda bread with a healthy layer of fresh apple butter. One bite and I heard the angels sing! . The second sandwich was wholly different yet equally delicious. A rueben with red cabbage kraut, corned beef, melted gooey swiss, and mustard all tucked into two toasted pieces of rye bread. If your mouth isn’t watering then your tastebuds are broken and I can’t help you. We washed it all down with a Long Trail Ale which wasn’t half bad and I’m not really a beer fan. . Soon after we were full and happy and back on trail. Our last big moment of the sat came 1 mile later when we officially split off from the AT and headed north on solely the Long Trail. Up to this point the two share a path but the AT heads east and the LT continues north. . We made early camp and with too much time on my hands that evening I started to peruse Guthook. An all important task until you go too far down the rabbit hole. I looked at tenting options (seemed sparse), water sources (mostly dry), the terrain (steep and challenging), and weather (soon to rain for days). This was another lesson in taking the trail one day at a time. Too much info leads to discontent and anxiety. All I really needed to know for the morning was where the next water source was located, full stop! Everything could be decided later. . Isn’t this just like the rest of life as well? Being concerned about step 47 before you’ve even completed step 1. I’m going to do myself a favor and work to do the next step and let all the others fall into place in due time.