Date: 2012-07-03
From: Belters Campsite

To: Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: broken clouds

There's something special about waking up on town day. Everything is easier and better. Burnt food on your pot? no problems, scrub that sucker down when you get to town. Sandy socks? Dirty body? Low on food? Salty, stiff smelly clothing? All these troubles will disappear when you get to town. Right out of camp i got lucky with trail magic which was a blessing as i was low on food and nothing fuels a hiker like a breakfast of chocolate chip cookies and orange soda. Originally I had though tho power through this low milage day and have as much time in town as possible to journal and take care of all my town chores. But the beauty and simplicity of all the rolling hills and river walking today lulled me into a slower pace. Today I saw waterfalls. Today I appreciated the smaller things on the trail. Today I strolled.   CT never gets talked about much but it should because it certainly does not get the credit it is due. There was a massive, impressively flowing waterfall that i spent a good 40 minutes by, just watching the water come down in great white rushes. I'm filled with so much joy and appreciation for everyone who has made it possible for me to be here. So many people have helped me along the way, some strangers, family, friends, my fellow hikers, and even the unknown readers of this journal that sometimes are the inspiration that keeps me going. There is so much beauty in America tucked away, I would never have known about, never have known i should see. Small places, hard to reach places, special places that make this such a rewarding experience. I continued my slow meanderings over the last hills of the day when some of the reality of trail life popped up to burst my new spiritual, uplifted bubble. In the last two miles of my hike I was suddenly hit with explosive diarrhea. (Hey I told you guys I was going to be honest) I discovered this by the way when i was off in the woods, hundreds of feet away from my pack. not that that would have helped because you see, I'd been running low on toilet paper for a few days now and rationing it this last day or so. Guess when the rations ran out? there I was with my last little scrap going, "oh no oh no oh no". leaves. leaves are your friends. just always make sure to check that they do not have thorns of any kind. This problem continued the rest of the way to town and I was routinely stripping off big leaves as I walked along the trail in preparation for the next horrible moment. I'm just so so thankful that today is a town day. Also hopping this random occurrence will swiftly pass and does not indicate anything worse.After getting cleaned up some (ah hem reference above paragraph for more intimate details) I wandered the town of Salisbury, appreciated the fantastic architecture, thriving local businesses, and sassy overworked waitstaff. Boy did I have fun chatting with these ladies as I sat at the bar and had a front row seat into their rush hour dance. good times. The town library is a wonderful old stone building that looks like a cross between a church and a castle. Tonight i am staying with Maria who hosts hikers in her home for a very affordable rate, drives them to do laundry and is an increible person to just sit and chat with. I was the only hiker tonight and had run of the upstairs. It was a great relaxing day and I picked up Awol's book for some readying as i unwound. Here are some of my favorite quotes:"the phrase "wrecked my ankles" keeps running through my head. permanent damage was not part of the deal." Amen brother. And the one that resonated most strongly:"Toward the end, possibly the most sustaining rationale to finish a thru hike is the fact that you started one."i'm finding reading this book quite wonderful actually. He's a great writer and it reads like he's there having a conversation with you. Reading his descriptions of the trail as he began his journey brings back so many memories that seem both distant and as if they happened yesterday. He articulates so much of what i thought or felt then at different times and it's fun to see where we agree and disagree regarding our trail experiences. the number one thing I've noticed is how quickly he is moving along right from the get go. ok sure he hiked higher mile days than I did but how did we get from Hiawassee to the smokies in two paragraphs? It just makes me realize that even a detailed book can't convey the time, the miles and just how far it all really is. Even right now looking at what i've done, I can't comprehend it. what do you mean I'm that far along the dotted line. No no can't be. I'm filled with so much pride and determination. Even if I break my leg tomorrow, how incredible to see just how far I've come.