So Much Support on the Calendar Year Triple Crown

This morning I heard the first few hikers begin packing up before 5am. I was so comfortable in my tent and incredibly glad that I made the last minute decision to set it up. Everything was dry and I was well rested. Then I followed suit and packed up as well. By the time that I did, Fresh Grounds was almost done making breakfast.

I joined Long Shot and Punisher by the van and got ready to eat. Breakfast was cinnamon banana pancakes and some home fries. Then a tall glass of orange juice. I packed out an ensure to take on the road for later. Then we finished up and began moving. We had about 12 miles to go to get to Florida City, where Fresh Grounds would be waiting for us once more. His support has been so unbelievably helpful. Especially right now with the mileage we’ve been doing daily for 4 days in a row.

This morning we got to watch the sun rise over the water, which was stunning.

When we began walking my body was feeling really tight. Typically when I stretch in the morning it loosens me up right away. But today it took about 5 miles of walking for me to really feel loose and for my gait to feel right. My hips were tight and sore and it took a lot of effort to get walk perfectly comfortably. I had to tweak my walk a lot over the course of the morning to feel solid.

For a while I was able to keep up with Long Shot. Then he flew ahead as I had to slow down and baby my body a bit.

Long Shot and Clean Shave got up ahead of me and were clearly feeling good. They blew me out of the water. And eventually I could barely even see them off in the distance along the road. But I had to focus on my walking and ensure that I wasn’t irritating anything or risking hurting myself. Luckily I know my body well by now. So I know that what I’m feeling isn’t cause for concern. It’s just the result of doing 30 mile days consistently for 4 days straight. The first 4 days of a hike. Which is always hard. Usually you have to ween yourself in. But I planned for this and have trained for this, so I was ready. But that doesn’t make it any easier.

Road walking to start the day! It was a chilly morning, but I was nice and cozy in my Sambob alpha 90.

By the time that I got into Florida City I was definitely ready for a break. I felt a lot better but my body was still tired and a bit tight. Then I turned a corner and saw Fresh Grounds van set up. I sat hello but then dropped my pack. There was a gas station within view and I needed to use the bathroom bad. So I headed over there first.

The sun coming up over the road.

When I got out of the gas station, Fresh Grounds was there waiting for me. He didn’t want me to have to redo the .2 miles it took to walk over there. Which is so incredibly thoughtful of him. I never would have asked for a ride there or back. But didn’t have to. He just knew. And wanted to help me in any way. Even with something as small as a short walk down the street.

Fresh Grounds came to support us about 11 miles into our 34 mile day!

After sitting there for a little while we all packed up. Then Fresh Grounds drove me back to the gas station again so I didn’t have to do the extra few hundred feet. What a legend. That man is an absolute angel. And when we pulled up to the gas station the whole crew had arrived! Caboose, Mama’s Girl, Matcha, Nana Man, Dirty Mike, Tripod, and Sprinkle. Then Long Shot, Clean Shave, and myself. Punisher had already came and went. That dude is an absolute beast. Sadly Lemon headed home last night. She was only out for a few days before work. But it was nice to enjoy time with her while we could.

Once everyone was there, Caboose announced that he had already made arrangements for tonight. Most of the group is just laying low and resting up. So they booked a room for tonight at the Miccosukee Casino for everyone. Apparently he booked the presidential suite so that there would be room for the whole gang and everyone would be comfortable. That was so thoughtful of him! And it’s going to be amazing to rest up in a bed and get to take the first shower in 6 days. Maybe even do some laundry if that’s possible.

Walking into Florida City!

Then Caboose asked if we wanted to slack pack today. They could just load most of our gear into Tripod’s truck and take the load off our backs. We still have 23 miles to go and my body is already feeling it hard. I was immediately so relieved. The idea of pushing that kind of mileage today almost felt impossible. I’m quite sore but can’t afford a day off so early. But doing a slack pack would mean just carrying my empty pack with a few essentials and water. Which was going to make a world of difference.

Today my body was really feeling the impact of the last 120 miles. The first 12 miles of the day were a bit of a struggle. I had to work with my gait and play around a lot with how I stepped in order to be perfectly comfortable. But after we started slack packing I felt immediately better. My body really needed a break. But right now that isn’t necessary something I can “afford”. I’m trying to save my rest days for bad weather or more severe soreness. That’s just my current strategy. But doing this slack pack some how felt like a day off. Everything loosened up and I was feeling incredible by the 18/19 mile mark. It’s wild how you can acclimate your body to conditions like this. A 34 mile slack pack was now feeling like a rest day.

The gratitude that I’m feeling today is immense. Once we started slack packing I had to text Caboose to tell him how much I appreciated it. It almost brought tears to my eyes just thinking about it. I don’t know if I could be pulling off this mileage and routine off the bat without the support of the crew that I have out here. I feel like an ultra marathon runner with the best crew you could ask for. They are pulling out all of the stops and supporting in every way you could think of.

Walking through town on a nice safe sidewalk.

Even earlier today when I had to use the bathroom and left my pack with Fresh Grounds he wound up driving over to the gas station to pick me up after. That saved me .1-.2 miles both ways. Now I didn’t have to redo the mileage. And that’s exactly why he did it. He knows how hard I’m pushing and that even saving a distance like that feels like everything right now.

Then Caboose arranged everything for our stay tonight at the casino hotel. Setting the whole gang up in a massive room. So that everyone could be comfortable. But additionally, so that Long Shot and I could truly heal up and get good rest. Everyone is looking out for me and making sure I’m ok. I never had to ask for the help or reach out to anyone. They just knew and understand the situation. And for that I am forever grateful. This border to border calendar year triple crown is truly going to be a team effort. All of the support is what is going to get me to the finish line. Each day and leg of the journey is its own marathon. And I have a crew made for an Olympian.

This morning I was beat down and feeling it bad. But now I’m just walking, and able to rest and reset while still pulling off a 34 mile day. I couldn’t ask for anything more. Being able to slack pack today and tomorrow with the support from everyone is going to be a make or break level of support. Even now writing this it chokes me up. How did I get so lucky? To be blessed with a group of friends that I met along the same long trails that I will be tackling all year long. The community that surrounds me is like a family. I couldn’t ask for anything more in the world.

The sun was at our backs for most of the day, which made all the difference in the world.

Eventually Long Shot and I said bye to everyone and continued along. With light packs it looks like we’ll have a nice early day and will probably bang out the 34 miles by 5:30-6pm. It will be so nice to have a “shorter” day and get to rest indoors. And within the first few miles of getting back to walking all of my aches and pains subsided. Now the mission was easy. All I have to do is walk! We went for a couple miles then stopped off for a quick snack at a gas station. I got a Jamaican beef patty, a papa relena, and a Pepsis. Then ate and drank as I walked. Everything that had previously felt tight now felt like butter. I was cruising along without a care in the world.

We walked for a couple hours after that before stopping off again. Then passed a gas station and went inside for a quick snack and a break from the hot sun on asphalt. I got a lunchable, pedialyte, and a juice to take with me. Inside I stretched a bit and ate. Then I was good to go! We only had about 15 miles to go and it was just around 1pm. We would be having a nice early day for sure. Plus it’s so much easier to push myself knowing that the finish line today is a hotel. Maybe I can swim in the pool or soak in the hot tub. I might even take a bath if there’s a tub. That sounds like I’ll truly be living the dream!

A pretty flowering tree just off the road.

We got moving again and I was feeling even better. The only tenderness I felt was a mild sensation in my feet. Which is to be expected after pounding pavement for now 5 days in a row. Today for once there are some clouds in the sky and the sun is at our backs. There’s even a light breeze. It doesn’t get much better this!

Those next couple of hours were a bit hard. It’s funny how even with a nearly empty pack, hiking 34 miles is alot on your body! I felt solid for the next hour and then began to get a bit sore. I used my time on the road to get some writing and video work done which was great. That means more down town tonight hanging out with everybody. Then by around 2:30-3pm we were both feeling pretty sore.

I stopped off a couple of times very briefly to stretch. There is a quick stretch that I often do which standing which helps to soothe your inner knee a lot. When you start to feel tightness there in particular. Almost every time I do it that calms down my inner knee tightness immediately. It’s truly magical. You basically just lift one left at a 90 degree angle and then turn your foot outward while keeping the knee straight. Light a fire hydrant or sorts. I did that a few times and then continued along.

Walking past a farm of palm trees.

When we passed by the next store we decided to sit down and recoup briefly. We’d gone about 6 miles further at this point. And the place we stopped at was actually somewhere I stopped less than a year ago today when I was in the keys. Trucker and I got tacos and drinks there. But they no longer serve either, just fruit. Though, the same adorable black kitty was there! She came over and we gave her pets. Then both did a whole lot of stretching. That was a much needed break. I’m tight all over. Especially my hips down through my knees. But that’s to be expected after pulling this kind of miles right out the gate. I don’t have any pain which is great. Just soreness and tightness.

After stretching for a while we continued along with only about 10 miles to go. The home stretch of the day! Hopefully we’ll be at the casino before 7pm which isn’t too bad for a 34 mile day. Leaving there I was doing great for a half an hour. Then some more soreness and tightness crept in. I had a slight sensation through my left calf. But it felt more like some nerve pain of sorts than anything concerning. When you get really sore your body over compensates and compensates in new ways. I just try to listen to my body. Pain is what I’m looking for, or warning signs of such. If I’m just sore and tight then that’s ok. Rest and stretching will resolve that and my body will grow stronger.

I watched my gait and did a few different things while walking. Luckily we are getting close now. Then we will be able to kick back and relax! I’m excited to shower for the first time in 6 days. And a bath is definitely calling my name. Apparently this room has 3 bathrooms too. So I won’t have to feel bad about hogging the one bathroom. But we’ll just have to see.

The two of us continued making our way along the road. Luckily we’ve had a side walk for the greater majority of the day. At one point a horse ran past us and a guy had attached some sort of a 3 wheeled contraption to it. Like a tiny horse and buggy. That shocked me. I’d never seen anything like it. We saw some cute dogs too on some of the farm land next to the road.

I’m really looking forward to feasting and hanging out with all of our friends soon! By 4pm the temperature had cooled down a lot. But it was a super temperate day fortunately. That certainly helped a lot.

Finally getting closer to civilization! We could see the hotel and casino off in the distance.

That next hour was a bit tough. I was very sore still and just ready to be done. But when we had about 5-6 miles left my dad actually called me. Then we talked for the rest of the hike and time flew by. That helped so much and I really needed a distraction. Then around 6:20pm we arrived at the Miccosukee hotel!

The walkway leading up to the Miccosukee hotel and casino.

Caboose came down to grab us and bring us up to the presidential suite. The perfect room for a massive group of hikers! Everyone was there hanging out and trading off taking showers. It felt so good to just sit down and chill. Then I took a shower and did some laundry in the sink. Hopefully it dries by tomorrow.

34 miles later we finally made it! What a long day.

Once everyone was showered and ready a big group of us went downstairs. I got empanadas, guava bread, and pan de bono. It definitely wasn’t super high quality food, but l was hungry and tired so I didn’t mind. I brought most of it back to the room to eat as I relaxed. Then did my stretching and hung out briefly before calling it a night. I’m hoping all my soreness subsides well over night. I felt amazing when we got here. But since then I’ve gotten a bit tight. Hopefully that means I just need some rest to loosen me up.

A bunch of little treats and snacks that I got for dinner.