">
July 16 – Hiking Highpoint: Friends, Foot Pain, and Fried Food
July 16
We wake up at the hostel around 6 am. We’ll be leaving on the 7:30 am shuttle. This hostel normally houses up to 6 people, but tonight it had 8. Eight people fighting for time in the bathroom to change or, well, use the facilities. Thankfully, everybody showered the night before.
The hostel owner made eggs, bacon, and potatoes for everybody. The first group left, and the rest of us continued to prepare for our departure. For me, this meant packing and repacking my bag to try to get everything positioned correctly. I don’t have a lot, and weight balance is important.
We want to go to Highpoint to check out the monument, then take the blue trail back, but there is a fee to enter, so we end up just going back to where we were picked up. The day’s distance would have been about the same either way.Before our trip departs, the owner comes back inside and arranges a few things. Plus, she lets me play with some baby chickens she’s going to farm for eggs. Aww, baby chicks are so fluffy, so soft.
We head out. A couple is setting up trail magic where we came out yesterday, but we don’t need anything, so we don’t stop. We hike up to the viewing platform for Highpoint. It’s not a hard hike, but it’s already quite hot, and my left foot still really hurts. We hike down and stop by the first shelter for a rest. The ground is getting smoother; it had been crazy rocky, and that was really hard to navigate with a newly injured foot. I still have to watch my step, but I’m not crying out in pain as often as yesterday. Still, I want to tape this foot for support, but I’m not really sure how to do that without causing a bigger issue as I’m walking. I plan to look into that tonight.
We hike on. I’m slow; Flamethrower is sticking with me as we walk and chat. We have a short day; nobody is in a rush. The heat index reaches over 100°F again.
We see water again; there are a few streams that pass the trail. They look surprisingly good. We’re at a lower elevation now; this extra water is causing things to be more buggy. I guess it’s a trade-off but it’s way better than 10+ mile water carries. For some reason, my bug repellent isn’t working. This makes taking breaks a mosquito mess. Still, it’s better than long distances without water.
Towards the end, we have to road walk to town. It’s so hot. I wish for a ride, but nobody stops. We try to go to the hostel in town, but they aren’t open yet. They don’t open till 4 pm. I’m so overheated I could cry. We walk to the in-town pizzeria. It’s air-conditioned. I melt into a chair before I can even order.
We get pizza, salad, and garlic knots. Then we go back for a delicious deep-fried cheese calzone and split a 2L of soda between us and get some cups with ice. The food is delicious. The cheese calzone is amazing; another table of hikers sees us eating it from across the restaurant and comes over to ask what we ordered. It was a blissful cheesy experience.
There are three tables of hikers here: us, No Rush and Chopsticks, and Shenanigans and Twofer. We’re all eating like hikers and hiding out from the heat of the day.
Around 3:30, we leave to get back to the hostel at 4 pm. That’s when the in-town religious hostel opens. It’ll only take four people. We’re waiting politely outside for a few minutes when they open the door at 3:45. Four of us are already here (No Rush and Chopsticks too). They greet us and give us the rules. No packs or shoes in the hostel, but they can be left outside under an awning. Take in what you need. Also, they require a shower before you sit on the bed. I’m okay with that. I take the first shower after chatting and basking in the air conditioning for a few minutes.
The hostel is spacious for four people and clean. Tonight, only 4 of us will share a bathroom. We choose our beds; they are bunks. Flamethrower lets me get the bottom. We’re so dehydrated we don’t expect to have to get up in the night to use the bathroom.
The guys leave and head to town. We find matching outfits. I’m planning to leave to get more food but I’m exhausted. When we go to leave and it’s raining, that’s my final straw. I change and go to bed. I ask Flamethrower to bring me back food, even though I’m not hungry yet. My head pounds with a heat/dehydration headache. I turn off the lights and lay insensate until I’m dragged down to sleep.
The guys get back. I mumble a few words at them and fall back asleep. I’m out cold until Flamethrower arrives. Then I’m only conscious long enough to hear I have a sandwich in the fridge. I don’t get up again till 1 am, six to seven hours after I originally fell asleep. I’m warm, and take off my blankets. I get up, use the bathroom, brush my teeth, eat my sandwich, brush my teeth again. I drink water, massage my painful foot, put cream on my bug bites, write this update, plan tomorrow’s route, and go back to sleep.
Affiliate Disclosure
This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price as they would otherwise, and your purchase helps to support The Trek's ongoing goal to serve you quality backpacking advice and information. Thanks for your support!
To learn more, please visit the About This Site page.
