Date: 2015-05-09
From: Bland, VA

To: Abingdon
Miles today: 0.0

The pizza fairy and my mom are my heroes.I haven't been able to talk to my family as much lately. No phone service and low battery mean minimal contact. It has been really hard for me, especially since mom is like my life/trail therapist. Even when I was in Korea, we talked at least every other day. Talking to her always makes me feel better, and lately I have had a lot of very big, emotional issues on my mind. Things that would be better to work through with a good mom-conversation. Not to forget, Dan gives the best pep-talks out of anyone I know.So today was great. First of all, I had leftover pizza for breakfast. Not my usual style, but the trail has changed me. I certainly was not going to let that leftover pizza go to waste. And I must say, I did not hate it. And, of course, I got to bug my mom all day long.Dan (aka my own personal pizza fairy, as he is now known) not only bought me pizza last night, but has provided me with amazing, mouth-watering, NON-TRAIL food. For lunch, we had salad. GREEN SALAD. With chicken! Finally, meat other than tuna!He also indulged my yearning for fresh, cold fruit. This man bought me an ENTIRE watermelon. Not one of those puny personal-sized watermelons, either. We sat outside the hotel this afternoon, at a nice picnic table in the shade of a tree, and I ate an entire quarter of that watermelon all by myself, scooping out chunks with my spork. It was like paradise.On top of the food (like that wasn't enough), they drove me to a shoe store that sold New Balance trail runners. Not only that, but they had wide width shoes in stock. I just about had a heart attack of excitement.And the saleswoman there was one of the kindest, most patient people that I have ever met. She showed me to the women's trail runners, where I tried on a couple of different choices. They felt better than my old boots immediately. They were so much lighter, so much more flexible. I ran around the store to give them a good test. The run felt nice, moving at speed after weeks of slow hiking. But I was distressed. Even in wide 10s, my toes were too squished.Edwina, the saleswoman, came back to check on me. I am so thankful that she did, because she suggested that I try on men's trail runners instead, because they would be wider.So I followed her across the store, where she gave me more pairs to try on. And eventually... eureka! My toes could move! I jumped for joy. Edwina even taught me how to lace them in a runner's knot, so my heel will be locked into place. I have tried this before but was doing it wrong... dang confusing internet diagrams.I am so grateful to Edwina for her help. I swear, the trail is amazing. I have no idea how it happens, but it always seems like it gives you what you need. What are the chances that the random shoe store we stopped at had exactly what I needed? ANOTHER EXAMPLE: Today we checked into our hotel, then went to dump our stuff in the room, and as we walked in, we passed a washing machine and dryer. What are the odds that this hotel had laundry facilities? Guess which hiker didn't have to wash her clothes in the shower this week? That's right. Dan even went to the gas station and bought real laundry detergent for me to use. ALL of my clothes are clean, now. I don't think that's been the case since April 1st. My trail experience has been so bizarre. Somehow, everything always works out.I swapped out my old insoles and hope that the new shoes will make the big difference in my hike. I am so sick of numb toes and painful toenails turning oddly yellow.There are few things more exciting than new shoes that allow toe-wiggling without the rest of my foot sliding around. I do think that watermelon might be pretty close, though.I ate all day long but was still hungry all day long, even though no hiking has occurred all day. It is like my body is mocking me. "MORE PIZZA. MORE ICE CREAM. NO REST FOR YOUR MOUTH. NO PEACE FOR YOUR TUMMY!" it cries.BUT ALSO my amazing, loving visitors took me back to Damascus, where I picked up my mail from Trail Mentor Alexa and my replacement bag from Sea to Summit (who kindly replaced one of my dry bags, which I noticed was ripped in Hot Springs. I must have caught it on something, somehow, at some point. I must say, Sea to Summit was BEYOND amazing in replacing that bag). I was so excited by my double mail score. Apparently, one of my pieces of mail had been there last weekend when I tried to pick it up, and the salespeople had tried to find me around town, unsuccessfully. But it all worked out in the end. Crazy how that keeps happening.Also wonderful, mom and Dan got to walk part of the trail with me. They got to see the hostel I stayed at last weekend. We wandered through town sweltering in the sun but enjoying the Creeper Trail, the views, the trail, and the company. This afternoon, I sorted through my supplies for the next week of hiking - they would have been sent in a mail drop, but mom and Dan just brought them down so I can save on postage Meanwhile, mom watched while I got confused sorting through dinners and lunches and 800 snacks, and Dan took a nap. A good afternoon.I have reduced a lot of space and weight in my pack. I swapped out my sleeping bags (my new one is SO NICE - THANKS AGAIN MOM AND DAN) and got rid of a lot of extra clothing. It has been so warm lately, I feel okay sending home a few things. Hopefully I won't regret this. I have had a wonderful, amazing day. No single complaint can be made.I am thankful for new shoes and amazing, helpful people. I am thankful for my pizza fairy, my mom (I could not have a better one), and fresh, delicious food. I have taken a shower, and feel amazing (though very tired, since it is so late past hiker bedtime). I am thankful to Sea to Summit for my new bag, and to Trail Mentor Alexa for my awesome gifts.I am INCREDIBLY thankful that I still have more than an entire day left to spend with ones I love.