Day 10

Today was great! My uncle made a good breakfast and dropped me off close to where he picked me up the night before. I knew that my whole day would be on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail that is an old railroad line that has been turned into a paved path. Domino needs to stay off of her paws for a few days so I put her in Jenny and we rolled on…

The trail was beautiful and so was the weather. Everyone I passed was kind and courteous and I was well fed and full of nutrients. I rolled on and on and occasionally stopped for breaks or to talk to people who were interested in the walk. 9 times out of 10 the people that I talk to about the overdose epidemic are affected in some way by drugs. Blows my mind..

We walked on and on and saw some great scenery and some wildlife. There was a groundhog which was pretty cool. I had no real destination today. Just walking as far as I could and then was going to find a place to camp. That freedom was amazing. I got about 16 miles in and started to think about where I should start to looking for a place to pitch a tent. While I was taking that break I get a text from Erin, the other hiker that’s walking across America saying that she ended up in a hotel room in Leesburg with an extra bed and that I was welcome to crash there if I could make it. It was another 10 miles away and it was 4 pm. I originally tried to politely refuse thinking that it was just a little too far for me. She wouldn’t let me say no. Told me to tough it out and get indoors for the night. So I did. Why not?!

It wasn’t as bad as I thought. I kept on walking and picked up the pace so that I would beat nightfall. I finally made it and was welcomed with snacks and the sound of the neighbors having adult fun. Very loudly… great start to a night after walking a marathon distance that day haha.

We had a great time chatting and getting to know each other. It’s so nice to have someone to relate to some of the stuff that I am going through that no one else truly understands. As it was getting late, we put the TV on and got ready to call it a night. Twister was on and we thought that it would be fitting since we will probably get caught in a tornado or two in Kansas lol. Sorry moms 😛

I was so glad that I was able to make the distance I made today. I thought that it would have taken me over 2 weeks to get to where I am now and I made it in 10 days.

I saw the mountains from a distance for the first time today. I have to cross them next. I am dreading the uphill battle ahead but excited to overcome it. Tomorrow could be a long day. I am trying to make it to a cool little hiking hostel that is right on the Appalachian trail. We’ll see if I can make it!

Good night 🙂