Day 93
Miles Hiked: 4.3
AT Milage: 1219.3
Stealth Spot to Port Clinton
Last night around 4am I woke up to some strange sounds outside my tent. It was a loud huffing noise. I was really hoping it was just one of my friends who I was camping with, but if it wasn’t it was definitely a bear. Trail Diva yelled at me from her tent asking if I heard the noise too. Apparently all four of us woke up to the sounds. Sloppy Jo started clapping his hands and Diva, Flamingo, and I started yelling. We all thought it was a bear. It sounded like the animal left so I fell back asleep. I woke back up around 7am and we all got ready to hike 4 miles in to town.
In town I knew I was going to recieve packages at the post office right odd the trail, so I walked there first. It was 9am and I expected them to be open. They had a sign posted on the door that they didn’t open til 12:30 so I would have to come back later. I waited for Diva, Flamingo, and Sloppy Jo so we could all go to Walmart together to buy food and resupply. We got a hitch there because the highway is so dangerous and almost impossible to walk on. Usually the local Cabellas runs a shuttle around town for hikers but when we called, they told us that they were shut down for the week.
At Walmart I bought myself some healthy and fresh foods to refuel for the trail. Ive been craving a specific salad so much and they had them in stock so I bought two. I also got a green smoothie, a baguette, and a Snickers icecream bar. I ate all of this immediately after I checked out, on a bench infront of the cash register. I also bought a few things to resupply my food for the trail and a blanket and safety glasses. The blanket is a child’s blanket that weighs about 10oz and will keep me warm enough I can keep bouncing my sleeping bag to the next post office. The safety glasses are to keep the gnats from flying into my eyes. Lately the gnats have been really bad. They fly a half an inch away from your eyes and face while you hike and annoy me to no end. I get a gnat in my eye, mouth, nose, or ear at least once a mile minimum now. When I hike 20 miles a day this is a lot of bugs!
After Walmart we went to Cabellas so trail diva could get some stuff she needed. The store is the largest Cabellas in the world and they had an amazing display of animals that have been taxidermied. While I was sad to see the animals killed for trophies, the display was so impressive. It must have took a year to install and a million dollars to create.
When it was finally noon we went to the post office so I could pick up my packages. One of the packages I had to pick up was Flamingo’s passport and a credit card that was rush shipped to me. It had to be shipped to me because you have to have a valid ID to pick up a package and he lost his whole wallet with ID in it earlier this week. When we got there we found out the package was available for pick up 30 minutes away at a Fed ex facility because Fed ex will not deliver to a USPS post office, even though his mom paid for it to be shipped there. We were so screwed. I was so tired of being attached to his name until he got his ID and I was supposed to be getting back on trail in the evening. I wouldn’t be able to leave town with my name attached to his ID. I tired calling Fed Ex to resolve the situation and have the box sent to a business in the next town. I could only get an automated robot on the phone and not a person so I couldn’t do what we needed to do. We got so lucky when a local overheard us trying to resolve the situation and offered to drive us an hour round trip to pick up the package! We would have probably had to pay for a $100 minimum Uber or Lyft to go get the package. The locals name was Like and he was extremely kind to help us out. I was so glad when Flamingo for his ID back so we didn’t have to worry about staying together or getting seperated.
At the post office I also received my own packages. I bounced my sleeping bag to the next town because it’s expected to be above 90 degrees for the next few days. I also received a package from my mom with some food, like pepperoni rolls I can only find at home and the meds the doctor prescribed me for dealing with me feet. Another package I got was from a family friend named Pam (and family) who sent me a new gel to use on my feet and wherever else I saw fit. I was really excited to try something new for them! I will be testing it out on trail tomorrow. Thanks so much for the care packages guys 😊😊.
I didn’t intend on staying in town, but trail diva talked me into it. She really didn’t want to stay in a hotel with 4-7 guys which she does all the time. She said that for just once she wants another girl to be there. I felt like I could relate a lot because there have been so many other times I’ve been going a little crazy because I feel like I haven’t seen a girl in so long. So I stayed the night at a motel 6 with Trail Diva, Toucan, Pop Rocks, Flamingo, Sloppy Jo, and Smoky.
Happy Trails!
Des Hikes Thru 