Road Walking Took the Tramily off Trail

This morning I woke up around 5am inside the church community center. I could hear someone starting to pack up and assumed it was Long Shot or maybe Clean Shave. We have to go about 33 miles today because of various road walks, so it’s going to be a long day. I figured the earlier the better.

I got packed up pretty quickly and then got used the running water in the bathroom. What a luxury. After that I headed outside where Fresh Grounds was already making breakfast. Punisher and his friend Jameson were out there already. Long Shot and I joined them and we all had breakfast. Fresh Grounds made breakfast burritos which were killer. Then everybody got ready to start hiking.

Fresh Grounds van.

Caboose had come outside as well and joined us for breakfast. I think he will probably be hiking with us today. But everyone else in the greater group has tapped out as of today. The last few days have been a lot of road walking and substantial mileage.  It’s a lot to do if your plan isn’t to do the entire trail necessarily. For me this isn’t really an option. It’s a necessity that I decided on long before coming out here. But for everyone else it’s quite different. Plus most people just want to hike the Florida Trail. So by taking the next few days off they will hopefully be feeling better and ready to embark on that. 

Fresh Grounds breakfast set up.

The four of us were walking by 6am which felt great. It was still dark as we began walking the road. It was Punisher, Jameson, Long Shot, and I. Hiking out with a group early in the morning felt really good. This morning my body felt amazing. I think it’s finally adjusting to the abrupt and large mileage which is delightful. But we’ll see for sure today after a 33 mile day!

As of yesterday on day 3, I was 87 miles in! If I do that 100 more times then I will be done with the border to border CYTC. That doesn’t sound so bad.

Time flew by in the morning as we walked along the road. We caught an incredible sunrise over one of the bridges. I couldn’t resist running across the street in traffic to get a photo from the other side, which was notably superior to the side that we were on. Then the sun came fully up and we continued along. We were about 23 miles from Key Largo when the day began. That would be the end of the Oversees Heritage Trail and the beginning of the connector trail which takes us to the Florida Trail. A couple of hours into the day we passed by a Cuban cafe and I could not resist going inside for something quick. I got two beef empanadas which wound up being some of the best that I ever had. Then we just kept on road walking.

The spectacular sunrise this morning.

We made it about 11 or so miles before stopping off for the first break of the day. Long Shot and I were both feeling really good. And Punisher and his friend were somewhere up ahead. He really just pushes the miles out and never stops going, which isn’t my speed. It’s damn impressive though. I have my moments where I can do that. But typically I like to take at least 3 or so breaks over the course of a big day like today.

Walking the road as the sun came up.

While we were sitting there at our break we saw a car go by and then turn around. It looked like Tripods white truck and it turned out it was! He had Sprinkle inside who I hadn’t seen since Yellowstone! That was such a surprise. And was driving around Nana Man and Mama’s Girl. She had a really severe allergic reaction yesterday and was going to lay low today to feel better. She’s super allergic to mosquitos and blew up like crazy.

Officially over 100 miles in for the year! Not bad considering it’s early on day 4.

After they all arrived we hung out for a while. Tripod gave sodas to Long Shot and I which was awesome. Then after a while we continued along. We walked for another couple of hours before stopping off again. But by around noon the two of us were hungry and ready for a break. We had talked about stopping but were debating where to eat. That’s when we walked past a Colombian bakery which I had actually been to before! I recognized it immediately and knew we had to stop in there. This place had some of the most incredible food.

The Pinecrest Bakery.

I’ve been craving pan de bono which is one of my favorite Colombian foods. It’s a sweet cheese bread which is phenomenal. They also had papa rellenna which is another one of my favorites. We grabbed some stuff and then sat outside to eat on there porch. I felt great after eating and doing a bit of stretching. Then I was ready to get going again.

Papa relenna is a fried potato ball stuffed with ground beef. They are really delicious.

Pan de bono!

From there we didn’t have too far to go to get to the end of the keys. Fresh Grounds was apparently set up about 22 miles into our day. So we planned to head there next to see him and hang out with everyone. Everybody besides Punisher, Long Shot, and I have decided to call it quits on the hiking for at least the next couple days. These past few days everyone over did it a bit and the group is pretty sore. I’m just grateful that Long Shot feels ok and we’re able to hike together! It’s nice to have a buddy for all the big mile days we’ve been doing. But, everyone else is still hanging out and is going to support us while we continue. We’ll be seeing them and camping together. Just not hiking together during the days.

I found this adorable fake carnation on the ground. Now I must keep it forever!

After that lunch break we didn’t stop again until we caught up to the group at the Winn Dixie in Key Largo. It took us until about 2pm to get there. But by the time that we did we had gone 22 miles and only had 11 remaining for the day. Just before we got to the parking lot we passed by a humane society. There were a ton of cats outside and we got lured in quickly. Within a few minutes I saw 20 cats. So of course we had to detour over and take a better look. Apparently the place spays and neuters local cats and then gives them a place to live. But they are free to come and go. I pet so many adorable kitties in just a few minutes.

This cat was so friendly and playful. But I caught it mid meow! What a cutie.

Then we continued on to meet back up with the group. Everyone was there when we arrived. Fresh Grounds, Caboose, Lemon, Matcha, Mama’s girl, Nana Man, Dirty Mike, Tripod, and Sprinkle. We all hung out in the Winn Dixie parking lot for a while. It was so nice to see everyone and take a long break. But my body was doing really good over all. The rest of the group is going to lay low for the next couple of days and probably not hike. But they will be camping and hanging out where Long Shot and I plan to be, which is really nice. So we will be seeing them!

Houses along side a canal. The road walks have been so scenic here in the keys.

After hanging out in the parking lot for a while, Long Shot and I decided to continue along. We still had another 4 hours of walking to go. And Fresh Ground is going to feed us dinner tonight as well. So we don’t want to arrive too late. From there we would be leaving Key Largo and completing the Oversees Heritage Trail. Then will be getting onto the connector trail which will take us to the Oasis Center, the start of the Florida Trail. 

Walking along the final bridge here in the keys. The first chapter is nearly complete.

The rest of our day was either bridge walking or long stretches of walking along the side of the high way. It had its scenic moments but was fairly tedious. Just as the sun was setting we had gotten off of one of the bridges. We still enjoyed a great sunset, but were definitely thinking about how it would be from the bridge. It’s funny to be leaving the ocean behind for the last time! Typically on the Florida trail you will finish out in Pensacola. But because of the ECT route and my time table, I won’t be heading back out that way. So this will be my last time on the ocean this year along trail!

Walking along a bridge as the sun began to set.

The next couple of hours dragged a bit, but weren’t so bad. It was a long day but my only complaint was a small amount of foot tenderness which came and went. My hips and knees felt fantastic though. Foot tenderness like that is really typically on long stretches of road. Especially the first week out. A lot of it is in your head too. So the more you think about it, the worse it seems. I’m fairly good at blocking it out until it goes away.

One final sunset on the keys!

Eventually it was pitch black out as we continued along the road. We pulled out headlamps and then didn’t have far to go to get the parking area where the gang was set up. I had expected to get in around 7:30pm. But we never stopped off for another break over the course of the evening so we made great time. We arrived around 7pm and everyone was hanging out by Fresh Grounds van and Tripod’s truck.

Fresh Grounds made burritos for dinner which were amazing. Long Shot and I were exhausted and just sat down immediately to eat. I stuffed my face and then had a hot chocolate for dessert. Then a piece of key lime pie that Tripod brought too!

After that I got situated for the night. Everyone decided to cowboy camp there right by Fresh Grounds van. Which originally seemed like a great idea. But within the first hour I realized I made a massive mistake. The mosquitos weren’t terrible, but they were out. And it was far too warm out to bundle up in my sleeping bag. I suffered for a while, debating what to do. I laid there trying to write and was getting tortured. Then realized the condensation in the air was really bad too. So my stuff was already getting damp after less than an hour.

Eventually I realized I could rectify this quickly and would be very happy about it. I moved 15 feet and set up my tent in a lumpy bit of grass. It was hard to get stakes in, but didn’t need to be perfect. I just needed it to stay up! In less than 5 minutes I had my tent up and everything inside. And as soon as I got inside I was so glad that I did. I could take my layers off and lay out comfortably. No concern for mosquitos. Plus my gear was no longer getting drenched by condensation. In the morning the only piece of wet gear would be my tent. I have a feeling everyone else is going to be pretty annoyed in the morning. Unless they are just braver souls than me. Mosquitos also love me, so that doesn’t help.

By just after 9pm I was comfortable in my tent and finishing up my writing. Never happier. We just did a 33 mile day. There is no way that I’m getting mediocre sleep tonight. Plus we need to do the same mileage tomorrow and possibly even the next day. So I’m not messing around. Over the last 4 days I walked 120 miles, which is an incredible start to this journey. But good sleep is a critical component!

After that I was in heaven. I laid up and did my writing and video work for a while. Then eventually called it a night.