Date: 2015-06-07
From: Port Clinton

To: Windsor Furnace Shelter
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: overcast clouds

 After a wonderful weekend with my husband and friends being pampered and loved on I was not ready to get back on the trail. I was still nursing some pretty bad blisters. David and Jack dropped us back off at Port Clinton and it was a tearful goodbye. I came back on the trail with new shoes (Keens) and a new backpack. I kind of felt like everything had changed. I was really hiking pretty fast and now all that was going to change. I promised I would stop often to let my feet air out and that means stopping. I don't like to stop once I get going and this was proving to be difficult for me. I finally sat down in the middle of the trail and broke down. I wanted to either be home or back to where I was speeding down the trail. After that I hiked into Windsor Furnace Shelter. We arrived fairly early so I just tried to relax and enjoy the scenery. Morale for me was at an all time low and I just wanted to get through the night. That is not how I wanted to feel but that is how it was. I slept in the shelter because there was a bad thunderstorm coming and I didn't want to get my hammock wet and dangle between two trees with lightning and thunder around. I don't have a sleeping pad so I slept without one. There were a couple other guys who showed up and so the place was pretty full. In the middle of the night another guy showed up and we were all squished in like a pack of sardines. I woke up as Phil and Robin were leaving and decided to take my time getting started. My feet were killing me so I taped them again and headed out in my new shoes. After a mile or two of uphill and the air so thick you could slice it with a knife I decided to get back off the trail at a yellow blaze and stop at the Blue Mountain Campground. I called my Dad and he asked how I was doing. I cried and said horrible. Before I knew it he was on his way to meet me. The trail down to the campground was horrific and basically a steep rock slide. I slipped down at one point and had to grab a tree for dear life. I shook for 20 minutes and then proceeded down the scary trail again hoping to survive. When I got to the campground I met a lady named Therese. She was asking me about my hike and was excited when I told her about our cause. She donated immediately and then took me back to her campsite and fed me! She was a trail angel from God for sure. She encouraged me and made me feel soooo much better about my mission. Her and her boyfriend drove me to Arbys in town so it would be easier for my parents to get to me. I ate at Arbys and realized they had no wifi and they suggested I walk to Dunkin Donuts for wifi. I noticed a family sitting nearby and asked if they would mind dropping me off at Dunkin when they finished. I can assure you that this is not normal behavior for me to accept rides from people I don't know but on the trail its a must and you do what you have to do! The Waggoners had two sons and I felt a good vibe from them so I asked! They accepted and I found out that they were doing a learning vacation with their boys from Cape Cod to DC. Mom was an elementary principal so we hit it off talking about school and teaching. So I chilled at Dunkin for like three hours and did some shopping at Cabela's til my parents got to me. I spent the night in total comfort again in a hotel and with more love and encouragement from my mom and dad. Truly there is nothing like having your parents there to make things better. We spent the next day getting some antibiotics that the Dr. called in for my foot infection and visiting the Yeungling Brewery. After that it was time to say goodbye to my sweet folks and I met back up with the Ross crew and stayed with them and their friends, the Bealers. They have been incredible and took us to eat more than we could ever imagine. Now my feet are looking much better, though still very swollen, and I am ready to return to the trail. I can only imagine how the children and people of Haiti must feel when they have to travel over 20 miles just for water and don't have people to stop them along the way for dinner and comforts of home. My mind is in a better place now and I can appreciate what they go through on a daily basis. We are so blessed. My prayer is that I never take for granted the things that we have here in America that the people of Haiti do not have. They are so incredibly happy with the little they have and I fuss about not being comfortable. Prayers for the lovely people there. They are the true heroes.