More Trail Magic Than I Could Imagine

This morning I woke up around 5:30am and began slowly getting up. We had gotten into camp fairly early last night, so I got a fantastic nights sleep. It truly made all of the difference. Then I began getting packed up and heard Long Shot doing the same. Everyone else was still snoozing away.

I’m so grateful to have Long Shot as a hiking buddy! He’s down for the big miles and early starts which is great. I was ready to be alone, so having a friend to hike with is a real treat. Once we got packed up it was still fairly dark out. We made out way out of the park and back out onto the road.

The start of day 3 and we’re already over 60 in!

Within the first couple miles we passed by my favorite key lime pie place on the whole keys! I haven’t been craving sweets too much lately but could not turn this down. The spot wasn’t open yet but they still sold us a place of pie. If you’re ever in the keys you need to go to SS Wreck and Galley. I’ve eaten a whole lot of key lime pie and that slice is easily the best.

The water was bright blue as we headed toward Islamorada today.

After that we continued road walking and began crossing over our first bridges of the day. They weren’t too long through and the weather was still fairly breezy and cool. The morning and evenings are my favorite time down here. We passed by a crazy car wreck which went into the water. You couldn’t see anything but there were cops and other vehicles all over. Plus a diving team! That was crazy.

Luckily there were a lot of side bridges today so we didn’t have to be right in the road.

Then we just kept on road walking. Fresh Grounds, a trail angel, gave me a call to let us know that he’d be around for lunch. He set up near the edge of Islamorada so he could feed everybody. Another hiker Punisher was up ahead of us and would get fed first. Then we would be passing by sometime around 12-12:30pm. I was so excited for a delicious feed by Fresh Grounds. Nobody does breakfast like he does. And I haven’t seen him since the ECT! Almost a year ago now. It will be so nice to be reunited. He is the kindest man.

Today was my strongest day so far and the vibes were high!

69 miles in so far! These signs are actually a bit behind on mileage to, so it’s actually more than 70. 

Periodically we stopped off for breaks to stretch as needed. But we didn’t sit around too long. Our routine was well dialed in today and I was loving it. We were resting but also using our time well and not sitting around unnecessarily. I really want to get to camp at a reasonable night tonight if possible. It will be nice to get onto a real routine soon.

A bunch of birds taking flight over the ocean all at once.

By 12:30pm we got to the edge of Islamorada and saw Fresh Grounds van! He had everything set up and ready for us. Blueberry pancakes, deep fried bacon, potatoes, eggs, fruit, juice, Gatorade, and coffee. That man knows how to feed. No one does it like he does. It was so amazing to see him and talk to him after nearly a year apart. We’ve spoken over the phone in the last few months, but I haven’t seen him in person.

Fresh Grounds set up to make us lunch around 12:30!

Long Shot and I ate our fill and were truly living the dream. I was so hungry when we arrived and was satisfied in an instant. I can already feel my hiker hunger coming back which is wild. But doing 30 mile days will do that to ya. I housed a first plate, then a second. Then another pancake too. It was all so good! We charged our phones and relaxed for a bit. Then continued along with only about 11 miles to go.

There’s nothing better than breakfast for lunch.

The iconic Fresh Grounds Leapfrog Cafe.

Not long after lunch I decided to give my dad a call. We talked on the phone for a long time. And while we were, a man drove by and flagged me down. He was so excited to see me and said his name was Ed. He’s been following my journey for a while. We walked together down the road and talked briefly. My dad was still on the phone and got to hear the interaction, which really warmed his heart as well. The whole experience was just lovely and so kind.

A big buoy covered in stickers.

On the first day of this hike I ran into some other readers. They called themselves the Crunchy Family and were a mom, dad, and their daughter. They are apparently hiking the pct together this year. While I was walking with the whole crew they biked by and stopped to talk for a while. It’s always so incredible to meet people who follow along on these  journeys. It’s really touching to see how involved everyone gets as they read along or watch the videos.

The incredible bright blue water today as we crossed over bridges.

After talking to my dad for a while I caught up to Long Shot and we continued on. And in another stroke of luck, I had yet another great interaction over the past couple of days. A local guy named Jason reached out to me yesterday. He knows a pastor in Islamorada who is going to let all of us stay inside the church community center. That means we don’t have to find a place to stealth outside tonight! We’ll be sleeping indoors like kings. Jason gave me all of the information and made all of the arrangements. Then he even reached out around 3pm to meet us out on the road.

In the next week or so we will be walking through the Seminole Reservation. This portion of trail requires a permit. But not just any permit. It requires notarized permit! Jason offered to drive out and meet us on the road to help sort this out. What I didn’t realize though was he brought a notary with him! And quite literally met us alongside the road with her to notarize the permit applications right then and there. That was one of the wildest things I’d ever experienced.

Long Shot up ahead on the bridge.

In that moment it really felt like we were getting the royal treatment. That was unbelievable. Jason has been in frequent contact, trying to support my journey in any way possible. And I could not appreciate him more. It had been a true blessing. He has gone out of his way time and time again trying to make sure I’m comfortable and everything is taken care of. It was great to meet him and hopefully I’ll be seeing him again at some point because he is local to the area.

I got into town and got a 6 pack of ensure to load up on protein, calories, and vitamins. I’m not messing around on this trip!

After seeing Jason I was feeling so energized. I was honestly a bit emotional just thinking about this trip and how everything has played out so far. It’s day 3 and these last few days have been filled with more joy and magic than I could have ever predicted. So many kind strangers have done all that they can to support me. So many unique circumstances have arisen. I’ve met such kind humans and seen so many amazing friends. I just feel so honored to be out here and I couldn’t be more certain that I’m meant to be out on this trail right now. Everything is aligning.

A huge mermaid sign. She was a pretty little thing.

The time flew by as we continued further into Islamorada. The weather was so nice and cool as it got closer to 5pm. Then right before the community center I stopped off at CVS for a couple things. And as we continued on we last Fresh Grounds. He was with Punisher and Jameson and we all headed to the church center together. The place was huge and had space for 100 hikers. It was so cool to explore around and the building had everything we needed.

Inside the church community center.

This giant room was available for all of us to sleep in!

I got comfortable and began charging my devices. That is truly what I am most excited about. I am tracking 24/7 on my garmin so I needed to charge that and my power bank. Plus my phone and even headlamp. Sleeping inside is amazing, but charging was even more essential after a few long days out.

Then I grabbed some food from Publix and we all headed back to relax. The rest of the group is still behind somewhere. But they will get in whenever they want to. They’ve been using some uber and bussing a bit. Otherwise the last few days involved walking about 30 miles a day.

Back at the community center I was able to make some videos and get writing done. That was a huge relief. I’ve managed to stay up with it well for the first few days. That’s something I hope to maintain over the course of the year too. Then I laid down and did my stretching before calling it a night. Tomorrow is going to be another long day because of the limited camping options.