Day 87

(Originally written on Wednesday, July 30)

Technically, it is July 31 at 12:41 am. I just crawled into my sleeping bag after some night hiking by headlamp. While it has its own beauty with the moonlight, I prefer to hike during the day. My reason is simple: Better light means fewer stubbed toes! But today I really had few options. The temperature in Belden was 96 today, which wouldn't be so bad on its own, but the first six miles out of Belden were virtually shadeless, and the first 13 are all uphill. I'm close to the end of the initial climb, and the remaining portion will be tackled in the morning.

So since it is past midnight and I need to hike about 30 miles tomorrow to reach my goal of halfway by the end of July, this entry will be short.

First, I really miss regular access to supermarkets. Sometimes I have good small store experiences, but today was not one of those days. I struggled to find enough food for a two-day resupply. It was pathetic. On the bright side, I'm only carrying two days worth of food! Also, I got a great breakfast this morning at Caribou Crossing just down the road from where I stayed at the Braatens.

So tomorrow it will be another long day, which is a bummer. But at the end of it, I should be able to say that I'm closer to Canada than Mexico, which would be pretty awesome. I will definitely need to take a zero day soon though because my body needs it! That'll happen either the day after tomorrow in Chester or after three more days of hiking in Old Station.