MST Trek Day 71

I am currently in Otway, which is about 15 miles north of Beaufort, NC.  This morning, we woke up early and set out a little after 6 to finish out the Croatan and make our way closer to the Cedar Island Ferry.  The weather is still mild, but a little hotter than yesterday.  This made for good hiking, even though there wasn't a cloud in the sky.  Along the way, we were stopped by, and talked to, many people.  The first was a woman at the corner of 101 who gave us bottled water and wished us well.  She was followed by a man with his children who wanted to take pictures of us.  Next, we met a man and a woman who stopped on the side of the road and gave us $20 so we could get something to eat.  Followed by that, we met a mother and daughter who thought what we were doing was great; they, too, came bearing gifts (Coke, water, oatmeal cookies,  and Lays potato chips).  We then met some nice police officers who escorted us over yet another bridge.  When I met up with Jef at a convenience store, a woman came out, recognized us, and gave us $10 for Guide Dogs for the Blind.   We chatted for awhile (Jef taped the conversation), and it nearly brought him to tears.  Many others recognized us from the news footage and the newspaper article, and honked &waved asthey drove by.  The people here are so wonderful.  I can't thank them enough for all of their well wishes and generosity.  Even with and I made a little over 22 miles today-- a new record for us. Jef found us a Bed and Breakfast, which is really wonderful.  I was able to wash my shorts (which were in dire need of a thorough cleaning) and I even got to eat freshly caught crab!  After a good night's rest, we'll be heading out early as it will be hotter tomorrow.  Our hope is to get within a few miles of the ferry and have an easy hike to get there on Monday morning.  Tomorrow will be another milestone with us, as we will be less than 100 miles from the end of this trek.