Date: 2018-08-26
From: Bryant Ridge shelter

To: Buchanan, VA
Miles today: 10.4

Woke up this morning feeling like I¢d been hit by a train. My stomach still hurts and I have zero energy. While I was packing up my things, two SoBos walked by. These two guys are the first legit southbounders I¢ve met since flipping south. Their names were Mountain Goat and Thing 1. Apparently, there was a Thing 2, but he had to get off trail. Lol These guys started in Maine in early June and are literally at the front end of the pack, so they¢re crushing the miles. Averaging 25-30 miles a day through Virginia. They said they really wanna finish in the Top Ten. Not top 10%, but like be one of the top ten SoBos to finish their hike in 2018. It was nice chatting with them for a hot second, but I¢ll definitely never see them again. LolToday ended up being a weird day. As the day went on and I kept feeling like shit, I continued to reevaluate my plans over and over. My tummy was bouncing with every step and I wanted OUT. I passed two roads today that led into Buchanan, VA. When I hit the first road, I planned to hitch into town real quick and try and find some Pepto-Bismol. But there weren¢t any cars headed that direction and the very few that passed didn¢t stop. So I decided to walk the opposite direction because I saw there was a campground/RV park about a mile away with a little camp store on site. The camp store didn¢t have Pepto or anything for stomach relief. But they had the next best thing - Sprite and Saltine crackers. They also had a rec room with a TV and DVD player. Before I knew it, I was lounging in front of the TV watching a romantic comedy, ¢The Break Up¢, drinking sody pop, and doing everything but hiking. Eventually, two girls on a road trip from North Carolina came in. They started talking to me and asking lots of questions about the trail. I told them I wasn¢t feeling too hot today and couldn¢t really do anything about it since I was in the middle of nowhere. Next thing I know, one of the girls goes out to their car and comes back with some Pepto to-go chewable tablets. And she gives me the whole box! Lol #TheTrailProvidesEventually, I left that camp store. I climbed a couple miles up a big hill and then lost all motivation again and sat back down. I don¢t know what was weighing on me more, the stomach pains or the mental woes. So I pulled out my phone and started calling up the crew. The only one that answered was the trusty Taylor T (love you dude!). Talking to friends helps. I realized today that I¢m finally feeling ¢the two B¢s¢. ¢The two B¢s¢ are like the trail version of the name Voldemort. Everyone knows who/what you¢re talking about, but you¢re never supposed to say it out loud. Well, I¢m saying it. I¢m BORED and BURNT OUT. And I don¢t know what to do about it. Taylor reminded me that there¢s no reason to be doing something that makes me miserable, especially if I don¢t HAVE to do it. He said I have two options: 1) Set my ego and pride aside and quit (we all know that¢s not possible), or 2) Find a way to make the trail fun. Whether that¢s taking shorter days, or spending multiple days in town, or just doing some part of the daily routine different. I don¢t know what that exactly looks like yet, but I think he has a point. Later in the day, I reached the second road that leads into Buchanan and, well, I caved. I hitched into town and am staying at the only motel they have, the Wattsull Inn. They have a ¢hiker rate¢ for $60 a night, which isn¢t bad. I¢ve never felt so soft though. Lol I figure I¢ll stay the night here and decide what to do with tomorrow when I wake up.