Date: 2017-10-02
To: Daleville HoJo
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: scattered clouds

10/2Daleville HoJo5 milesLast night my sleeping pad deflated. I reinflated it at 3 AM, and by 5 I was pretty much on the ground again. Pad #6 was already shipped and waiting for me in town, so the timing was excellent. I'm still flabbergasted that I've managed to ding up another pad somehow. I noticed it feeling a little low when I woke up a few days ago, but attributed it to colder temps. I hope pad #6 makes it until the end of the trail. I dressed quickly in the cold morning air, staying in my sleeping bag as much as possible until I was fully clothed. Had it been just me I might have boiled water in the protection of the shelter, but with section hikers sleeping in there I moved out to the picnic table. I weighted down my pot insulator against the morning breeze as I made coffee. It was definitely not a morning for a casual cup of cold coffee. It was a morning for huddling around a warm mug. With a light heart and a full belly, I set off for town. The miles passed very quickly. I saw one speedy deer, which reminded me of the three slow bears I saw yesterday. Bears don't usually seem to be in much of a hurry. They are expert moseyers. Redbeard was just leaving the Howard Johnson when I got there. He was only going to the first shelter outside of town so perhaps I'll be able to catch up with him. The nice lady at the front desk checked me in and got me change and soap for the laundry. She said to let her know if she could do anything else. I said "Can you smell me from here?" I needed an honest opinion. If it was bad I'd take time for shower and laundry first, but I'd really rather do all my errands first if I could. She looked only slightly startled and said she could not. I deposited my pack in my room, dumped my clothes out of my little daypack, and headed for the shopping center. My agenda included lunch, the outfitter, the liquor store, the grocery store, and then lunch. Again. I've been hungry. At Wendy's I couldn't decide on burger vs chicken, so I ordered one of each - junior size. And fries. And a frosty. I think the frosty ended up being a mistake. As I was washing my hands at the Wendy's, the left temple fell off my glasses. I tried to reassemble it, but the screw was too tiny for even my little hands. I put the screw in a ziplock, the temple in a pocket, and the remains of the glasses on my face. At the outfitter, they asked what I needed and I said I had no idea. My glasses self destructing had discombobulated me. They took pity on me and put my glasses back together in an impressive display of dexterity, then helped me find things in the store. I now own a blaze orange buff and bandanna. No vest unfortunately. I picked up two new water bladders also. I have a feeling that throwing away my old well loved one is going to hurt. The liquor store sold me some of the caramel flavored liquor I discovered in New Hampshire. I bought a bottle of ginger ale into which I'll decant the liquor later. I was a little disappointed not to find my tortellini at the grocery, but that's alright. I bought a baguette and some Brie. That should keep me happy. I'm only carrying two days food because there's a hostel and grocery store not very far down the trail. I'll need to carry more than usual from that stop. I might have to suck it up and carry light and compact things like oatmeal and instant rice. I don't know, though. Carrying crappy food usually results in me being hungry and grumpy while my pack weight stays the same. The grocery also didn't have any individually packaged breakfast things. I figured I'd get that at a gas station. Sure enough, they were well stocked. Second lunch was at the BBQ joint nearby. It was delicious and the waitress was excellent. I tipped her a little heavily and toddled back to the motel to finally clean up. I haven't done laundry in public in a while. I looked in the mirror before I left my room and my rainskirt looked more transparent than I remembered. After a moment's thought, I wrapped my silk sleeping bag liner around my hips and knotted it. It made an excellent petticoat. I've been pondering ways to make it a better skirt this evening. It would need to not cause problems with its primary function. Maybe a couple of big safety pins are all that is needed. Around laundry time my stomach announced that I was mean, I wasn't its real mom, and it was running away from home. Maybe it was the second lunch, maybe it was the frosty. Either way, I had a time convincing it that everything would turn out fine. And even longer before I trusted it again. I decided dinner was probably unnecessary tonight. My glasses fell apart again when I set them down. Considering my options, I threaded the joint with dental floss for now. I can't handle the screw with the tools I have here, and I will either need a larger screw or something to thicken up the threads. I don't wear the glasses much, so a half-assed repair is fine for now. My husband suggested the classic paper clip repair, but that sounded like a good way to damage other items around my glasses as they're jammed in my bag. I would be more upset but I mostly function all right without the glasses, and they cost me under $10. My series of defunct sleeping pads is much more upsetting.