Run Boy Run

Marty told me that usually, people don’t leave early in the morning. I can see why… I didn’t wake up until 9:30. It’s just something about the memory foam topper or something. Normally, I’m not a big fan of memory foam. It normally feels like I’m just sinking. But I guess with how tired I’ve been from trail, the memory foam mattress just absorbed me and never let go. 

I still don’t have reception here, which is a bit annoying, and ultimately was the forcing function to get up. Yes, I could just… read a book, or wallow in my thoughts. But I want to get some blogging work done for y’all! Funnily enough, my watch for once claimed I got too much sleep in a night, saying that it’s a sign that I need to be more consistent in my sleep schedule. If only it knew. I feel like the trail is where I’ve been most consistent in my sleep.

I eventually got to the Mystical Mug Cafe, where I ran into both Planet Caravan, and Marty himself. Marty and I chat for a bit, with excitement surrounding us both about John Kelly passing through today. I then finally made a trip to the Delaware Water Gap post office, where Dawn the postal worker recognized my name! I had her bounce the package with my hip belt to Palmerton earlier in the week, but now had some wedges to install into my insoles shipped here now. Plus, I was finally ready to ship out my Jacks R Better Big Meadows quilt! The quilt again was nice and light. But there were just some design features that I couldn’t get around.

I tried to get some blogging done at the cafe with wi-fi, but I was too excited and nervous about missing John passing through the town. So, I sat on the balcony with Marty watching the tracker, or as much of it as I could with spotty reception. The unfortunate thing about Delaware Water Gap is that since it’s so close to the woods, there are still bugs… everywhere! There were some moments where I found a bug actively sucking my blood, and by then… it’s too late. Ugh.

When we saw the tracker get real close, Marty and I went up the trail to look at his crew and meet him. John didn’t look to be in the best of moods, and I can’t blame him. It was actively pouring when we saw him, and it had been actively pouring the whole week before. There were also bugs everywhere, since the trailhead was right next to a bog. I talked to his camera guy, and it turns out John’s feet were just in immense pain, due to being wet constantly. No matter how much shoe and sock switching they were doing, they can’t stop it from raining.

I joined his crew for a little bit of running, just until the border. It felt fun to see how much of a commotion the town was making for this. Even the firefighters all took a break to watch! I hope he gets all the way to Katahdin. As just another computer guy who’s enjoying the outdoors, I can empathize with John’s mission out here.

Marty gave Spoonman and I a ride to Ready, Set, Run afterwards. Here, I wanted more advice on my feet. And… of course, the advice here was different than everyone else’s. Here, they recommended I try the Superfeet running insoles. But, I kind of spill over them. I’ll try the wedges first, and see how I feel. But I feel like the only way to really give the shoes a good shot is to get a fresh pair. Not yet though, not when I’m only 100 miles in. I guess this is the same logic that I had with the Timps when they were failing. But we’ll still try…

Spoonman and I spent some time at the bar nearby, eating super well, before going to Walmart for a resupply. Neither of us needed much, but it’s still nice to have a Walmart. They have everything! The better ramen packets. Mountain Houses for cheap. And medical supplies! I grabbed some Exederm, in the hopes that a topical steroid might help my toes heal faster. Maybe dubious, but can’t hurt.

Luckily, we didn’t need to bother Marty for a ride back to town. For some reason, Stroudsburg and Delaware Water Gap have an app called “Pony Plus,” which is a flat rate $2 shuttle that’ll shuttle you anywhere. So, we took it from Walmart all the way back to Marty’s with no issue! I then took it to a Thai place nearby for food.

It was delicious! I got a pork pad thai, and some deep fried ice cream, taking some back to munch of after my appetite reopened. At the hostel, I met The Navigator, a German man who just grinds out miles, and Superman, a 20 year old kid who had just started in Harper’s Ferry. And… seemed a little too eager to share that he ran out of money.

From what Marty and I could sus out, he was in a bit over his head. Which is fine! The AT can be a pivotal learning experience for many! The problem here was he seemed to be extremely naive about everything. Before the trail, he’d only saved $1000, and wasn’t ready for how “everything’s just so expensive!” But… if you’re on a budget, then why are you at a place that costs money, instead of the free hiker hostel?

Marty and I spent time hopefully helping him realize that while the trail is relatively safe, there’s a difference between negligence and accidents. I’ve recently been very upset at seeing negligence on trail, having learned that some people from home had lied about their own negligence leading to a Search and Rescue situation being initiated for them. Now that I’ve been out here, and been around the community more, I know how dumb it is that SAR is treated as a commodity, and not a last minute resource. Marty and I found out that Superman didn’t even know that the Whites could get cold, as he was just bringing along a sleeping bag liner and didn’t know he eventually wanted to have a quilt. Or a jacket. Oof. 

To make things lighter, Marty requests that instead of leaving a trail log, all guests draw a little comic of a trail story. So, I recounted an encounter that I had near Bear Garden in Virginia. Enjoy!

(title lyrics from: Run Boy Run, Woodkid)