ECT Day 318

Day 318: 21 miles 

This morning I wound up sleeping in until around 7:00 a.m. at the room. Looking out the window the sky was grey and gloomy. It rained for an hour or two the last couple of days.

Eventually I got up and began packing up at the room. Once we were both ready we set for another pretty long day of walking. Down here we’re going to be doing probably about a marathon every day. Obviously there could be the exception, but in general we’ll be doing some big days to finish off the ECT.

Leaving the hotel, we walked right past the Dunkin’ Donuts. Then after walking for only about a mile, we went past Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen, a famous Key lime pie place. It was so early in the morning, but I still had it inside me to get a piece of pie. I couldn’t resist and I’m trying to eat as many pieces down here as possible. When we were in there, we talked to some of the workers and a person who was inside ordering. Lately everyone has been so curious about what we’re doing. It’s been really nice talking to so many strangers.

We left there and didn’t make it particularly far before we stopped somewhere else. We went by bakery, so I figured that they must sell Key lime pie too. They actually didn’t sell pie but I wound up getting pan de bono there. Another one of my favorite foods of all time. It is the most delicious, dense, cheesy bread ever. I was still stuffed from eating pie, but later on in the day I would love to eat some of that bread.

The route that we were on was bringing us basically along a sidewalk or bike path. There were a lot of people out walking and biking. A couple different people stopped to talk to us and were curious about what we doing. Then unexpectedly in the early afternoon we hit up another Key lime pie place.

I really wasn’t tracking any of them on the map and instead was just paying attention to what we walked past. That adds an exciting element to the Key lime pie hunt. The next spot that we went past was called the Keylime pie factory. When I was traveling around the US in 2021, I actually vividly remember stopping here. Mostly because it was such a bitch to get situated in the parking lot in my RV.

We decided to take a break at the Keylime pie factory and get a slice of pie. Their pie comes topped with meringue, which is not traditional. One of the pies that I taste tested with Learning Curve the other day was actually from the Keylime pie factory. I knew that the piece was really sweet and tart but I still wanted to try it again. I remembered there being a really nice sitting area out behind the pie shop. We ended up sitting back there and eating. I did some stretching and it was a nice opportunity to take a break. We pretty much have just pounded pavement pretty relentlessly the last couple days.

Sitting there we got talking to a family who is down here for a wedding. They were really nice and curious about what we were doing. It feels like we’ve been telling the same story over and over again but I’m not getting sick of it yet. After talking to them for a little while we eventually packed up and got back to. That was my third piece of Key lime pie in the last couple days. I’m hoping to try a whole bunch more before this trip is over.

For the rest of the afternoon I was super productive and did a lot of writing. I got a bunch of blogs drafted up and after a couple hours I was all caught up. For most of the rest of the day going from Key Largo towards Islamorada we went by an endless list of businesses and gas stations. So we really didn’t have to worry about water or food. More than anything we were worried about making sure we stopped at every place that we wanted to for the day.

At one point we went by another place. I was so disappointed that they’re closed on Monday. Somehow that place being closed felt like the biggest tragedy that ever happened. And if a Key lime pie place being closed is the biggest problem that happens to you this week, you better count yourself lucky. I know I certainly am.

In the early evening we stopped off at a gas station. We couldn’t resist a convenient opportunity to go pee. I also did some stretching and wound up drinking an energy drink. We enjoyed a pretty short break there and then kept it moving. We still had about 8 miles to go for the day at this point.

It was a cloudy day as we made our way through Islamorada. At one point we actually went by northbound through hiker. His name is Topper, and he is attempting the eastern continental trail this year. It’s been really cool seeing all the new ECT hikers. They have such a long way ahead of them. It’s crazy to think about how they are just a few days into their journey and I’m just a few days away from the end of this journey. It’s exciting to think about all of the things that they are going to experience this year. They are in for a wild ride and the adventure of a lifetime.

The further that we got into Islamorada, the more that there was to look at. The trail went up and over some bridges and we got an amazing views of the crystal blue water below. In the distance there were some massive iguanas up in trees too. Between today and yesterday I’ve seen so many giant ones. At one point we were crossing a bridge and they were tons of big orange iguanas in the trees next to the bridge. The iguana weren’t even fazed about being way up there.

We also went by a peacock at one point which was awesome. I know it sounds kind of dumb, but I really didn’t realize there were peacocks walking around down here like we have turkeys up north. I got an amazing look at a big, colorful, male peacock. We watched him jump onto a rock wall nearby. I’ve seen peacocks before at petting zoo, but I’ve never seen one in someone’s yard before.

Once we were in the heart of Islamorada there were endless stores and restaurants nearby. They gave me plenty to look at as we continued to make our way towards our hotel for the night. At this point it was around 4:30 p.m. Trucker had booked something earlier in the day for us. So it wasn’t going to be the longest day ever but that wasn’t a big deal. It’ll be nice to have a slightly earlier night than we have been having recently.

In the evening we stopped off at an ice cream shop. I’m still trying to eat as much Key lime pie as possible. They didn’t sell regular slices of pie, so I got a chocolate covered piece of pie on a stick. It may not have been anything super special, but it was still good!

Around 5pm as we were walking along the bike path, I noticed a woman up ahead waving. It was pretty clear to me that she obviously knew who I was. I didn’t initially recognize her though. But when I got closer I figured out that it was Angel, who had stopped me the other day on the road. Her and her husband Bruce had driven by pretty quickly a couple days ago and we talked alongside the road.

Now today, I guess we’re walking right past where they are staying. Angel and Bruce came out and talk to us for a while. It was really cute to talk to them. Angel just kept saying that she wasn’t a stalker, she just happened to see me here. She was such a sweet lady. I did not think for a second she was a stalker. They recognized Trucker right away and had apparently been reading my blogs since I was doing my “Bama to Baxter” thru-hike. It’s crazy to think anyone’s been following along for so long.

It was really neat getting a chance to talk with the two of them. We ended up taking a photo together. Around 6:00 p.m. we got a bit further into town and arrived at our destination. Trucker had booked a room at Bud and Mary’s marina. It was the last place to stop before going over one of the bridges in the keys. Trucker has done this route before, so he has a good idea of the ideal places to stop. 

Today wound up being a pretty short day, but still somehow it took until just before dark. When we got to Bud and Mary’s place we checked into our room. Then we ordered some dinner from a place nearby. Trucker walked over to pick it up while I took a shower. Then I ate the most delicious shrimp and pasta dinner. The food was so fresh. Then I wound up watching TV the room and doing some writing before calling it a night.

At the end of the day today only 81 miles remain of the eastern continental trail. I’m closing in around 5,500 miles now. With so little distance left to hike, the end has never felt closer. If this were any other week and I was 80 miles from town I’d be trying to get there as quickly as possible. But this time around I’m only 80 miles from the finish line. The sooner I get there the sooner that this unbelievable adventure comes to its end.