Let's just say today was emotional. Started off with total hiker hangover... slept in even though we needed to do big miles again. Super slow getting out of camp. Super discouraged. As we hiked the next few miles I went up and down with my attitude, but mainly I kept thinking about how tired I was and how far I had to go. Not good. Ate lunch with thunder in the distance. Super discouraged again. Not really knowing how I was going to be able to finish this day, let alone our thru-hike. Then, as we were starting a climb, we met Kinder. A SOBO section hiker from GA. We small talked for a minute and she seemed really nice – an old kindergarten teacher. We smiled and said goodbye. Then, at the last minute, she turned over her shoulder and said, "And... don't lost heart." Tears welled up in my eyes. For some reason, that was exactly what I needed to hear. Because today, for the first time, I really had started to lose heart. Thoughts were entering my mind about quitting for the first time. I was at an all time low on the Trail. "And don't lose heart," was all she said. Well, after I finished sobbing in front of Anna, I was reignited and charged up that mountain. I thank God for sending someone like Kinder our way to say those simple words of encouragement. She may not have thought anything of it, but it got me through today. We hiked on in happy spirits and came to Moxie Pond then Long Pond. We finally went swimming for the first time on the AT! It was gorgeous. It was fun. It was absolutely what we needed. We finished our day hiking 4 miles in a wet thunderstorm, but I think we are in good spirits. Tomorrow we hit up Rangely for one of our last town stays. Amazing. Dont. Lose. Heart.
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You can check out my original blog post about this day here. It really is crazy how much someone's words can affect you.
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| First swim on the AT |
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