June 24, 2017
9:52 PM
Total Miles: 1245
Hiking thoughts:
Some people might think… Why push yourself so hard every day, why not hike less miles and “enjoy the roses” more?
Like I said in one of my first posts… I came for the adventure…but I also came for the challenge.
If I hiked only 10 or so miles everyday. Then yes. This adventure would be extremely easy. At least for me.
But the challenge would be non existent.
I have become in love with putting myself in uncomfortable situations.
Just like David Goggins said on the podcast I recommended earlier, when you challenge yourself, you can learn the most about yourself. Your mind will take you to dark places when the going gets tough and when you push through it, it is one of the best feelings.
When I hike big miles and my feet feel like they are going to fall off, my thoughts start to become negative as the more uncomfortable my body gets. Everything in me wants to stop right there and set up camp.
But there is this little spark in my being that makes my legs continue to move forward because I know I still can. Despite it all, I know I can continue on.
Eventually I find this motivation, eventually I find the will power to continue on, to defeat the dark thoughts and press on.
I am slowly learning to control my mind. I am slowly learning to not let outside factors affect my inner mood. I am slowly learning that happiness and calmness come from the inside. That it is something you can cultivate and you can decide to let outside factors fluctuate it or not.
I have been asked what my tattoo on my wrist says and stand for a few times out on the trail. It says Dare Greatly.
It is my life motto.
1. The book Daring Greatly is one of my favorites.
2. A quote from Theordore Roosevelt that I strive to live by:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. “
3. The handwriting is in my grandmothers handwriting because she pushes me to be a better woman everyday.
I am doing my best everyday to push myself. To push myself for high goals and dreams and to challenge myself. if I fail at them, I will fail while daring greatly.
-Brown Sugar
Day 84
Sleep last night evaded me.
The chatty Kathy’s finally stopped around midnight and finally I fell asleep for a short time.
I woke up around 5 and swore it was 6 something when I looked at my watch. It was bright enough to be believable.
I tossed and turned and getting back to sleep deemed impossible. So up I got. Alex was up too. He is an early riser as well.
We let planner sleep in and headed to The 3 C’s family restaurant.
A gentleman named tricks the night before said it was one of his top 5 places to eat on the trail. The best breakfast.
Planner immediately said “Oh no, this girl is all about breakfast”
I looked at her with eager eyes… “Can we?!?!?”
The plan was set.
It was as Mr. Tricks announced… Delicious.
I ordered pancakes of course with some peanut butter, eggs, and bacon.
Alex… Ordered the whole menu…
Kidding…I will announce he almost ate all of it but fell a little shy on the pancakes.
We sat around and I finished blogs while downing multiple cups of coffee.
Planner joined us later and stayed till lunch time so we could finish charging our electronics.
It was perfect timing. The unfortunate rain has actually stopped. The post office didn’t open till 12:30 since port Clinton is such a small town. We headed there so I could get another sunshine box from my wonderful grandmother and aunt Debbie!!
Such a stellar box. Every time I open it with excitement.
Thank you so much you guys. I know I already told you…but it helps so much not having to pay for a resupply especially in a small town that over prices food.
I also got…. Drum roll please… New shoes!!! I called Soloman and let them know what happened to my old shoes and how they didn’t have that many miles on them. I definitely don’t think ripping across the whole toe should happen.
Any who. They had me send some pictures and let me get a new pair for a very very low cost.
Perfect timing because PA was tearing these bad boys up.
We set out while the skies were still semi clear and planned a short 6 mile day to the first shelter.
Once there a lady let us know the forecast was predicting more rain in 16 minutes.
16 minutes.
I got this. I got my tent up so fast even Alex was impressed. I even had time to load up on water and take a little creek bath.
The rain then came a pouring down and I am nice and dry in my tent.
Whew!!!
Not a shabby way to spend the afternoon being snug in my tent reading and eating my favorite peanut butter bars that my aunt sent me.
I am Hoping the rain doesn’t last!
Day 85
My hopes of minimal rain were squashed.
It stopped raining in the evening for little bit and then it came back around 9 and did not let up too much through the whole night.
At one point I yelled out to planner and could hardly hear her reply when she was maybe about a foot away from me.
My sleep happened in short spurts. I knew that if it kept it up, my tent would eventually start leaking.
Which is exactly what it started to do.
So I kept waking up and sliding my sleeping bag under my sides so I was as snug as a bug in a rug. As long as it stayed on my air pad and didn’t touch the sides of my tent. Then it was going to be okay and dry.
When I arose in the morning. Everything was pretty sopping wet. But it wasn’t my first rodeo so I made sure everything in my tent was either in a dry sack or in a zip lock bag. The little puddles in my tent remained harmless.
Once I started hiking I noticed the beautiful Light shining through.
A sense of calm came over me.
The rain sucks…but the sun will always come back out.
I reached the first view of the day called Pulpit rock.
These views are such a reinforcer to me.
Second view of the day was at The Pinnacle. It was gorgeous. It is deemed the best view in Pennsylvania.
Later in the day we reached Eckville shelter.
It was in the backyard of the caretakers house. He had a wonderful bunk house and a shed that served as the privy that had a flush toliet and working shower!
We ended up spending about two hours there. We hung our tents to dry on the clothes lines and took our time eating lunch and taking showers.
My motivation to hike afterwards was very, very minimal.
My new shoes have actually made a pretty big difference with the rocks. They definitely hurt less. But, it doesn’t make me like them anymore.
I pressed on and Planner and i made it to camp fairly late. A long lunch will do as such.
We made it down to a new small campsite and there is no one else here but us three. It is kind of nice.
The rain is supposed to be done for a few days so we all were excited to sleep with our rain flies off!
A successful day and now heavy eye lids.
-Iz and Oz
Izzy + Ozzy 