New friends, trail magic, and rest

Zero day

I woke up this morning pretty well rested. The hostel we are staying in has quiet hours from 10 PM until 7 AM with no alcohol, dogs, or partying allowed. This made for a peaceful night of rest. The room was full of hikers endlessly rustling around, probably because none of us are use to sleeping in late. By the time I got out of bed, most of the room was empty, and Brian had already left for breakfast. I made my way to my empty bike, which I was excited to ride without panniers for the first time this trip. My bike felt so strange, and I felt like I could move three times the speed of normal rolling. I made my way to breakfast at Mojo’s, where I placed an order for coffee and the wifi password. Service in town is extremely limited, so I was happy to reconnect with Liz via videochat for the first time. Face timing with her was easily the best part of the day. A couple hours after arriving, I ordered breakfast, and I wasn’t disappointed. All the usual breakfast culprits on a plate, it was hard not to eat it in one bite. Having all the time in the world, I finally caught up with other fellow Trans Am rider’s journals. Twenty minutes later, doesn’t the whole crew we met a few days ago walk into the cafe. I caught up with them all, and even had the pleasure of meeting two more riders. We sat for breakfast together and shared stories. Turns out Meredith lives in Philly, and started her trip in Richmond. Out of the blue, she exclaims, ‘wait, you’re Bobby!!’. Meredith started in Short Pump, a suburb of Richmond, where I work at Wegman’s. One of the store’s cashiers knew of my trip, and shared with Meredith I was on the same trail. Here we stand, face to face, what are the chances we met (pretty good I guess, but still).

Bike Maintenance

I took my time returning to the hostel, but I wanted to get some bike work done. First, I cleaned and lubricated the chain, which after a few days of rain was necessary. I cleaned the junk off the chain rings and wiped off any gunk on other components. Baby blue was feeling good after a little TLC. I then decided an afternoon reading session would be nice, so I hopped up to my bunk and opened a book. Five minutes later, Brian tells me I have to get down off the bunk to see what a gentleman, trail name Marine One, has just brought to the hostel. Can you guess? Freakin’ donuts. The first one Brian points out was the one I also had my eye on. Doesn’t it turn out to be stuffed with apple pie filling. I’m living up to my trail name, Fritter. I instantly had to thank Marine One for his kind gesture of trail magic, and asked for a selfie to share with the world. For those who don’t know, trail magic is basically someone who goes out of their way to provide a helpful act, supplies, food, or water for nothing in return but seeing pure joy from people like me. This, by far, was one hell of a way to spend my off day. I quickly grabbed another, chocolate pretzel. Brian went in for a second, and of course picked the only flavor he disliked, blueberry. Guess where that donut went, down mah tummy. Satisfied, I slowly climbed back into my bunk, almost popping my sleeping pad due to gluttony, and instantly fell asleep in a sugarfied siesta.

Coffee break

Brian and I decided to make some coffee out on the wooden benches of the hostel. The weather was perfect, and although we knew it will rain all day tomorrow, I was satisfied with at least having nice weather during our rest day. Today I tried not to consume every piece of food in eye sight, just to give my body a break. A lot of the day was chatting with thru hikers, and I will miss their company. Our bunk mates were check-it and trailmix, two young dudes a couple months into their hike. Wifi has been nonexistent, and service is gone. Our only chance has been dining at restaurants, so we headed to a local burrito shop. Overall, the rest day was relaxing and restful. My legs are feeling great, body feels clean, and attitude is positive. Our day tomorrow will be full of rain, so I knew mentally preparing for it now would be what I needed. We also have the steepest elevation climb tomorrow, so that will be our test. It’s called Hayter’s Gap, and from the map looks like it climbs 1500ish feet in less than 3 miles, probably more like 2. I try not to pay attention, the best thing to do is just know it will suck. Expectations my friends.

Lights out

The conversation in the room was the impending rain for tomorrow, but the hostel was full of crazy, positive hikers. We all knew we were in the same boat, so it was the best way to fall asleep that night. We packed up our panniers to be ready for our day, and said goodnight to our new friends. Memories like this will last a lifetime.

Stats

Rest day: Minimal mileage

Total mileage: 496ish miles

Donut count: 8

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