Over 400 Miles in 2 Weeks on the CYTC
This morning I heard the guys getting up around 4:30am. It was starting to lightly rain so I packed up quickly. Then joined them under the small bathroom and laundry building. And by 5am we were walking once more.
Our morning started by going through the flooded areas north of Kissimmee prairie preserve. If you’ve been reading for years, then this is the exact area where I fell chest deep into the swamp in 2023. One of the most traumatic moments I’ve ever had on trail. Yet this morning the water was ankle deep as we skirted around the side of the marsh. It’s funny how you can experience the same area twice and have such a drastically different experience. This was nothing at all.
Our feet were wet, but there was hardly any other water to pass through after that. We continued along dirt roads covered in lumpy patches of grass and piles of soft dirt. It was slow going at times, but we were still making our way. Last night I had a subtle soreness in my left shin. I put KT tape on before bed. But this morning the first couple hours of the day I was really sore. I’ll be honest, it concerned me alot initially. I tried to watch my step and put it in the back of my mind. After another hour it persisted. So I spent the next hour using my biggest muscle, my brain. I started daydreaming about the finish of this hike. Getting to whichever terminus it might be, surrounded by friends and supporters. I thought a lot about how proud I would feel. And I felt it in real time as much as I could. By the time I stopped and thought about something else I noticed that the sensation in my shin was gone completely. Was it probably the KT tape working its magic? Of course. But our minds are incredibly powerful. So much pain and discomfort is formed there. And so much of it you can eliminate there as well.
After that the walking was nice and easy. Eventually we got off of the lumpy dirt trail and were out into a nicer paved road for a while. We walked across a locke and talked to a nice lady who was out doing a morning walk. Then got back onto some grass and dirt trail, heading to River ranch. This next section of trail is some of my favorite. We were walking through a forest of large oak trees, covered in Spanish moss. It was so beautiful!
This morning was fairly cold. It rained lightly on us to start. Then by 9am or so it had completely passed. But still was breezy or cool, so I wore my Sambob alpha 90 under my rain jacket. That kept me comfortable. And it looks like my hives/rash is still doing much better today. There are still splotches from where the marks were. But they are mostly flat now. More than anything the area just isn’t irritating anymore.
Before noon we made it to River Ranch, which the trail goes right past. It’s the number one glamping location in the US and has teepees, covered wagons, tents, and other lodging. We planned to grab food and resupply a bit. I don’t need much but was hungry and wanted to grab a couple drinks. At this point we were about 23 miles in before noon. Which was killer!
We were going to resupply but decided to eat first because we were starving. Resupplying hungry is a dangerous game. One of the restaurants was open which was great. I ordered a chipotle Caesar salad and some loaded fries. It was so much food and was delicious. Then stuffed myself before we headed out to grab the rest of the essentials. I got a bit of candy and some drinks. Then realized I have plenty of food for another 2 days. We’ve been getting fed so regularly that I’ve hardly eaten any of my snacks and meals.

The food was reasonably priced and so good! The loaded fries were killer, and I love a spin on a Caesar salad.
All of us lingered there for a while. It was so early and we had already gone so far. I knew we had plenty of time to do another 11 or so miles. Which would put us around 34 miles for the day. It was around 2:30pm when we left there. Then walked the road out before getting back onto some actual trail. Which didn’t last long! About an hour later we were back on a super busy highway. This is one of the worst road walks of the whole trail. The road is really fast and busy, and the shoulder is small. But it’s fine as long as you keep your eyes peeled.
While I walked I talked to a hiker who had reached out. She wanted some advice on the Appalachian trail. So we talked for about 45 minutes and I answered all of the questions she had. That killed time for me, and helped her out! Which is great. I love to help new hikers out in anyway that I can.
By that point it was around 4:30pm and the sun was beginning to set so it got cooler out. We walked on the road for another 45 minutes or so. I drank the peach crush that I bought and listened to music. Then we got off the main road and onto a quiet dirt road. It looks like the trail ahead might be pretty wet. But we’re probably doing some shorter routes along road anyway so it shouldn’t be an issue.
Not only after that we passed by the Three Lakes Trailhead. We were about 34 miles into the day and the sun was just about to set. This place had some rv’s set up in one area. Then another small flat area not far from a pit toilet. We decided to get set up here, rather than try our luck camping along the dirt road ahead. Plus it was a pretty long day already!
It’s so nice getting set up at camp early though. Even after taking almost 2 hours at River ranch this afternoon. This is the end of week 2, and we did 214.9 miles this week! That’s a great week. We averaged over 30 miles a day every single day, even in the swamp. And had a lot of restful early days too. That means we’re at 405.5 mile total so far. The border to border calendar year triple crown is off to a dang good start.
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Comments 10
Whoa! Those loaded fries look insanely good… Mac n cheese, pickled onions, what else!?
Congrats on pushing those miles and making great headway into your adventure! Excited for the year of reading ahead. ✨
Thanks, Peg!
So happy you have 2 other hikers that like to hike like you do. You may have mentioned it before but what are their plans?
Also, always love seeing what you eat and drink. Keep sending those food pics!
“dang good start” Ohhhh no,.. much better than “dang good” it’s freakin’ excellent!
I’ve heard when you have pain to pinch yourself hard somewhere else on your body & that gets really d of the pain – like you said the brain works.
There once was a hiker named PegLeg,
Whose miles each day made others beg.
With hives on her skin, She’d still wear a grin,
Her spirit was never a dreg!
The tree shots are lovely! So glad no adrenaline-inducing happened. The brain and pain are a tango. Congratulations on the huge mileage!
I’ve heard when you have pain to pinch yourself hard somewhere else on your body & that gets rid of the pain – like you said the brain works.
400+ baby! Amazing 😍
Powerful beginning to your CYTC. Thanks for taking us along.
I imagine that you need a fair amount of magnesium to keep your leg muscles from cramping. Any supplements on the trail?
Peg it will come back to you….