Date: 2015-05-22
From: Unnamed Campsite

To: Port Clinton pavilion
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

Last night I woke up a few times because of the chill, and even had to put my thick sleeping socks on. The rocks I was laid directly on top of definitely did nothing to aid my sleep. In the morning, I woke and tried to stay in my bag a little longer, as I always do when it's chilly. I eventually had to answer the call of nature, and into the trees I went.When I came back, Callie (Jax's dog), was eating her breakfast. I noticed her eating as I came up past Jax's tent, and realised I should give the dog more space. I thought about how some dogs are a bit protective of their food. In the split second it took for me to decide where to go, Callie decided for me. By running at me and then biting my shin and calf. Her jaws clamped down on the bone and muscle, and she left a green smear of dog food on my trousers. I yelled out and Jax pulled her off, only for Callie to bite me again until Jax had to pull her away and hold her jaws closed. Thankfully, Callie did not break my skin and did not draw any of my blood. She did bruise me, and she did scare me (to tears, in fact), but she didn't cause the end of my hike. Had she been able to break the skin, she would have done severe damage to my calf muscle and I would not have been able to walk, let alone hike. After that, Jax apologised repeatedly and kept Callie in her tent until I quickly ate breakfast and packed up. Despite the miles of frustrating rocks, I moved quickly all morning. I had a slight fear that if I slowed, Jax and Callie would catch up and Callie would try to finish the job. I passed a large group of flip floppers heading into town, and I met them later on at the Port Clinton Hotel. One of them is an older English man from near Birmingham (though he informed me that he had previously lived in Bude). It was nice to meet a fellow countryman in such a random place. I arrived in Port Clinton at about 11.30, after a very steep climb down (I'm dreading the climb up). I met up with Archangel and we walked along the roadside until we got a hitch to Walmart. From there, we split, and I finally got all the things I have been waiting for. A new bandana, bite relief, 100% DEET repellent, and best of all, a new travel cup to hold my morning tea. Then, I stopped at JA Buffet, which was Chinese American food. It was pretty good. The waitress also put me next to an outlet, which was very helpful. As I walked out of the parking lot, a woman offered me a ride back to town - I hadn't even put my thumb out yet! In town, I went to the barbers. A bit of an odd stop for a girl, but I was there to enjoy the free seats, cookies, power outlets and interesting company. I spent a few hours there with fellow hikers and townspeople. The older ones were very shocked that I was traveling alone, without even carrying mace! It was also here that I met Stoat and Poppit, who introduced themselves by saying that they had been following me. I had met Stoat's mum way back in Harpers Ferry, and they had been trying to find me ever since. I spent some time in the Hotel bar, where I was amused that I had to show idea for a coke (because I was sat at the bar). I was joined by Jax and we talked about what had happened that morning. Later, I walked down to the Pavilion, where Jax (and a very well leashed Callie), Stoat, Poppit, and another male hiker were. It's the most women I have seen in one place for a long time. The temperature is supposed to drop to about 40 F tonight, which is some kind of cold in Celsius. I'm wearing my thick pj bottoms for the first time in weeks!