Date: 2019-05-02
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Erwin/Uncle JohnnyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Hostel
Miles today: 15.8

Today started out uphill, of course. But then it went down to Sam¢s Gap. There had been trail magic there yesterday and we were both upset that we missed it, but there was some stuff leftover. There was an empty cardboard container from soda cans and a water jug, and then a bag full of things like candy and ramen. We took some candy and topped off our waters. We walked out of the gap, which was actually a highway, and Prometheus got a call from his mom. He walked on so he could talk to her and I stayed behind to give him space. I put my headphones in and jammed out for a little bit. He got off the phone and it was his brother¢s birthday, so he said he¢d need to call back later to wish him a happy birthday. We walked together for a bit and chatted. He¢s faster than me, so sometimes it¢s hard to hear him, but we had a nice walk. My pack was bothering me a bit because the straps kept loosening. I started to grapple with the fact that I might need a new one. Mine is so heavy on its own and it does loosen like that as I go and it¢s annoying. Unfortunately, my shoes are also an issue right now. I don¢t like having both issues at the same time. I put Superfeet insoles in my boots, but now my pinky toes are being squished even more than normal and I¢m getting blisters. It was annoying me today. We stopped for nice photos, but were trying to move quickly. We got out early today and that was awesome, but we still had a lot of miles to cover. The day was slowly climbing up to Big Bald Mountain. We had some pretty deep talks while walking up Big Bald and it helped the time go by. Timing is weird though and it was starting to rain. We put each other¢s pack covers on and kept going. The top of Big Bald is actually awesome, but as we arrived, we watched as a rainstorm literally moved right over us. Great time to be on a Bald with no rain cover. Lol. We saw X too! We headed down the Bald quickly to get cover. We got wet, but it wasn¢t too bad. It let up and we kept going. There were too more smaller climbs to do after that. We passed a shelter and then did those climbs. My feet were starting to kill me. I was whimpering on the downhills. Prometheus was hurting too. We passed up on the summit of the last uphill because we just wanted to get our shuttle and the rain clouds were circling us all afternoon anyway. We pounded downhill for a while to the Gap. We called from a mile away and the shuttle was there when we arrived. It was so exciting! The woman drove incredibly fast though and both of us were getting carsick on the winding turns. We arrived at Uncle Johnny¢s. It¢s a pretty cool place! I was so happy when we first arrived because there was a fence and a little doggie poked her head under the fence. Ahhh best surprise!! 10/10 would crawl under the fence to pet. We went inside and checked in. We put our stuff in our cabin and I was hobbling around because my toes hurt. Our cabin was quite small, but it worked for the night. I saw Red Wiggler and Wobbles, so that made me happy!! Two people from my old trail families. I miss them! I¢m glad I¢m just a few days behind them. We hurried back out to catch the shuttle that left for dinner. It would take us to Walmart and a few restaurants near Walmart. Prometheus and I were so pumped for Walmart. You never know how much you¢ll miss Walmart until you¢re on trail! Haha. Next to the Walmart there were a couple of restaurants. One was Italian and the other was Mexican. Prometheus and I had been craving Italian food, so we went there. We had met up with Heather back at the hostel. I don¢t know her very well, but she had hiked with Hot Sauce and Prometheus before and met up with them the first time we were in Hot Springs when I was with my parents. Heather joined us for dinner and another man from Colorado, Yorkshire. Dinner was pretty crappy. Bad Italian food is just the worst. My garlic knots were good, but the pizza and pasta I got were so bad. The pasta sauce was runny and the cheese was just clumped on top and it was just gross. I was so happy to have food, but it did not live up to my expectations. I took it all to the hostel in boxes, but knew I probably wouldn¢t finish it. Prometheus wanted to go to Walmart and we didn¢t have much time before the shuttle came back, so I packed up his food for him and paid for it. He paid for the hostel so I owed him anyway. We saw Hot Sauce in the Walmart parking lot and went back to the hostel in the shuttle. The shuttle driver was funny and there were hikers from all directions coming to the van so she drove in a circle and the people were all chasing the van. One guy walked right up to the windshield when she stopped and it was so funny. Back at the hostel, I picked up my packages and Prometheus and I went to our room and organized things. We both showered and relaxed. I ate some of the garlic knots, but didn¢t really touch the other food. Outside, I could hear some boys and they were talking about X. They were saying ¢does X hate us now?¢ And ¢she camped there, she asked for it, the story writes itself.¢ What assholes. I was so angry just listening to them. I was worried about X and didn¢t want her to stay here and have to see her harassers. I told Prometheus and he was mad too. The guys were all drinking excessively outside and pretty rowdy. We went to sleep and our room was a little hot, but it cooled down outside as we slept. I was annoyed because my external battery wasn¢t charging, but I knew we were staying two more nights, so I could try to charge it again. We also had ice cream before bed that we got at Walmart. The best treat! Little Debbie