MST Trek Day 60
by cyberhiker01 on 06/05/13
Today we woke up in our cozy, comfortable and dry church. We got an early start in surprisingly cool weather with overcast skies. This is our kind of weather. The miles ticked off quickly and we even got to stop in both of the convenience stores on the route. There were Cokes for me and ice chips for Tennille. Today we had many close encounters with off-leash dogs, and for an added bonus, we got to play slalom with farm equipment. The tractor and the pickup truck seem to be the preferred mode of transportation in this section. We also had an exciting encounter with the big machine that paints traffic lines on the road. That was very confusing for both of us, but we managed to get through the area without being painted! Our total for today was a little over 17 miles. The cooler temperatures made for less breaks for Tennille. We got good news from Cheryl, Laine's friend, who allowed us to stay with her. Her sister, Yvonne, told us tomorrow's weather is supposed to be much like today and there should be rain through the rest of the week. We hit a milestone today: we now have less than 300 miles to go. Even though the end seems so close, there is a lot to be done before we make it to Jockey's Ridge. We have had to make some changes, and are now looking for angels to give us assistance in finding places to camp. I want to give a big shout out to the folks at Granite Gear. My new back plate is perfect!! Thank you again for getting it to me so quickly.
The interview I gave to the Raleigh News and Observer made the front page of the paper on Monday. Link: www.newsobserver.com/2013/06/03/2935317/shaffer-blind-hiker-and-trusty.html. Tennille and I really excited about that, because when were walking today, a number of people recognized us and came off their porches to talk to us. One woman in particular (Sylvia) came out to the road when she saw us coming by. She had read the article, but was convinced we would never walk down her street. She was very excited-- even offered for us to camp on her lawn anywhere we wanted. It was great to meet you, Sylvia.