Date: 2022-04-24
From: Laughing Heart Hostel

To: Laughing Heart Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I started today with not knowing if I would head out or zero today. I was torn between getting more miles in and spending time with the people I have become friends with. I called and talked to my parents before they went to church and processed what I should do. I decided that it¢s the people I will remember more than the miles so I am staying. I talked to the guy who runs the Hostel and got my bunk for another night.I ate the leftovers from ¢brunch¢ yesterday and it was the envy of everyone. I couldn¢t eat it all so I gave some to a few people. I then walked down to the coffee shop for a good mocha and then went to the Baptist church in town. There was only 12 people there and I was at least 30 years younger than anyone else there. They all welcomed and greeted me. We sang a few hymns and then a short sermon about how Christ became flesh and how we have assurance in our belief of going to heaven. It was nice to worship with fellow believers in a church building.Later I FaceTimed my mom and got to see and talk to my family who were at Nana and Poppop¢s for lunch. I updated my journal entries and then just layer around in the grass in the shade. I played corn hole and frisbee with some friends.I had a really nice conversation with Kara about my time at Victory Junction and what my job entailed. It was good for me to be able to talk about it. It helped me process all the things that working at camp over the years has taught me.The group I was first hiking with started coming in this afternoon. Prosecco, Phoenix, and Moon came through and I talked to them for a little while and they were so excited to see me. It was cool. I didn¢t see Spicy Onion and Candyman come through. They are staying somewhere else. I text the group chat saying they should come hang and got a maybe. Then I said I was headed to the brewery for dinner and invited them. I got nothing in response. I guess they took my departure a little harder than I thought. I have become the black sheep to them. I hate they feel that way but I don¢t regret pushing ahead. We are all out here to hike our own hike. Getting sucked into a group think this early in the trail is going to cause issues at some point.Later I got a group to go down to the brewery for dinner. Kara had had one too many drinks and I took the responsibility of getting her back up to the hostel. I was doing my best to keep her to the side of the road but I just couldn¢t do it. A cop ended up pulling behind us and turning on his blue lights. He asked if I was aware we almost got ran over. Which wasn¢t true I had turned and waved the car around us. He asked what I can only assume are the typical questions of have you been drinking tonight. I told him that I was just trying to get her back to the hostel and that we were thru-hikers. With me clearly speaking to him not intoxicated he told us off for walking in the street and asked me to get her back safe. Which we were only 100 yards from the hostel. Hot Springs is such a small town. I know he was just doing his job and making sure we were alright. I appreciate that he did. There are so many hikers in town I¢m sure he deals with a lot of situations of people having too much to drink. We did make it back to the hostel and I sat down with some friends and they said I was a gentleman and a scholar for doing what I did. I thanked them and then said that I was at that moment not responsible for anything else.Ronin decided to stick around for the day as well. His air mattresses was cut by glass when we camped out and he has been trying to patch it. He got some epoxy from the hardware store and tried that today. Hopefully it works for him. There are several of us who are pushing on tomorrow. Which will be nice. The hostel is packed out with so many people. I have had my fill of people and I need the woods again.