I slept good, especially as I thought that I would not. The sand was soft and I heard no wierd noises. Uncharacteristic for me, I needed to unload myself right away in the morning. The place was dirty. Toilet paper everywhere, even as we are still on area where you are not allowed to bury it. I was diligent and carried my own with me.
I started slow. At the first water source I met with three Canadien hikers. After chatting they troddled forward. Another hiker, Brendan, came along. He had no electronics, not even a mobile phone. He paced me well. It seems that in order to have a good pace, I need other people. I lost Brendan when I stopped to chat with two old men that were just doing a small hike to the opposite direction. I've somewhat decided that I want to talk to people also. It is not just doing the miles with your feet, but doing the distance also inside peoples minds and the culture of this country.
After I lost Brendan I also lost a bit of motivation. It was awfully hot and I kept a break along a highway, which was very unmotivating. So I continued quickly in the heat of the day. I met with Larry who talked me about aeroplanes the other day, and he offered me that he could take me to the museum with his car later the day. Being worn out by the heat and not thinking straight, I was just fixated to getting to the campground looming ahead. He tried to persuade me. We agreed that I could try to meet him at his car at 6pm if I would change my mind. Right after departing with him, I realised how stupid I was. It would have been amazing to have a break from the walking. Also, a nice person offering something like this, it does not come often. The very least I could have taken his number, but the moment was already gone. Damn heat. I do not handle you well.
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| Magic beer! By a lake! In a shade! |
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| Magic corn! And chips! |
I continued to the bigger picnic area where there lots of people enjoying the Memorial Day. Just by walking there and looking a bit lost resulted having trail magic from two groups of people. First a former major Mexican league soccer player, who barely spoke English, offered me a coke and a sandwich. A bit later a younger fellow who played ball with his friends offered me a barbeque corn and chips when I was filling up my water bottles.
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| Magic dinner! And koreans! |
I was thinking about taking a swim in the lake but the day was getting late, and I wanted to get to the actual tent site that was marked on the map. It was yet another 6 miles out. So I needed to get moving. Checking the time made me realize I was within the time frame we spoke with Larry that we could meet if I wanted to visit the museum. I laughed with myself that it would be lucky if I would meet with him again. That did not happen, but instead I decided to check what was the commotion about in a yet another campground that I passed by. It turned to be a summer camp for a Korean congregation. The minister came, and as I explained myself, he asked if I wanted to stay with them for a dinner. Well, yes! But as the day was getting late, I also asked if I could camp with them. The answer to this was no. I declined the big plate of meat and ate the veggies.
It was very late now. As usual, I passed few perfectly fine tent sites and arrived to the marked one very late. It was occupied, but I managed to squeeze in. I realised I still had the beer with me. Opening it with a rock made the bottle neck break down. Luckily I only got a small wound.
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