September 24 – 25, 2024
Mile Marker: Off Trail
Miles Hiked: 0
We woke up this morning with an alarm clock going off at 5:40 AM. I immediately let out a “Noooo” drawl. I was tired and didn’t want to get up. How nice it had been to sleep in until I naturally woke up.
But once I remembered what we were doing, it was easy to spring up, we had places to be.
We packed our bags and left some food and gear that we couldn’t take on the plane. Then we headed down to the hotel breakfast. Here we realized that the Uber reservation we made the night before, was actually not going to happen. It appeared that Uber and Lyft didn’t really work in this town. Crap.
The airport was 3.5 miles away and we started considering walking, it was the best bet we had. There were a few people eating next to us and we decided to use some courage and ask if anyone in the room was going to the airport and/or if anyone would be willing to take us, trying to give a short version of our situation.
A couple said they would but that their car was in the shop or gave another reasons. There was a husband and wife sitting a couple tables down and the wife wanted to take us and the husband refused to look at us.
She then called out her husband, admitting that he didn’t want to but that she did. We told them it was fine and that we would walk. We needed to leave asap if we were walking.
Right as we approached the door, the wife shouted out to us that she would take us and her husband was going to stay behind.
Thank goodness. Oh thank goodness.
She had us put our packs in the back and we could tell she was nervous so we made casual conversation. She was from the east coast and her husband and her come out to this area frequently for vacation. She was so sweet and when we arrived at the airport she gave us both a hug, wishing us well.
We took a small flight to Denver and waited at the airport until 2 for our flight to Kansas City. It was a strange sensation to go from the quiet woods to the bustling Denver airport. I found myself drawing inward unsure of what to make of the feeling.
We arrived in Kansas City around 5 and Molly picked us up, took us to my car, and then we drove 2 hours to Pittsburg, Kansas for the night.
As we made the drive we caught glimpses of a beautiful Kansas sunset. It made me think of the Great Basin in Wyoming. We were both quiet for most of the drive, feeling tired and out of place.
We arrived at my sister’s around 8 pm to a homemade meal and hugs. It felt so good to see her and my brother in law, people I have missed dearly.
We chatted for a long time about the trail then finally made our way to bed, knowing we were going to have a long next couple of days.
The next morning we got Jeff’s truck from storage, packed our bags, put on our “normal” clothes and headed out towards North Carolina.
Everything we did felt weird, like driving or trying to decide what to wear, bringing new decisions that we haven’t had to make in a few months.
The drive was long and foreign to our bodies. We could feel them get stiff and felt uncomfortable as we couldn’t move.
But all of these sensations and thoughts were frequently put away. We were focused in on what we needed to do, places we needed to be.
We made it into Knoxville at a dear friend’s house around 11 PM. Later than we wanted but as long as we were making progress. It was a joy to visit with our dear friend Jenna and we were so thankful for her letting us stay the night. We are so blessed with the people in our lives.
The next morning we woke up early and continued on for 6 more hours to Cary, North Carolina.
Journey and I were tired, but held hands frequently as if it gave us strength.
We arrived at the hospital late afternoon exhausted but so happy to have made it. It has been a whirlwind.
I am not going to keep posting new updates while we are here and off trail. If we go back out or decide to stay off trail, I will let you all know. Keep Journey’s family in your prayers.
Much love,
Iz and Oz
Izzy + Ozzy 