Just like Chef said, at midnight he was packing up. I’m such a light sleeper in Shelters. He really was trying to be quiet and honestly, I may have been the only one who woke up. Chef wanted to make it to the Trailhead. There was a planned shuttle ride at noon and he was giving himself plenty of time to arrive. He left shortly after 1am, and I fell back to sleep. And sleep I did because I didn’t budge till 6am.

There were close to ten hikers in the shelter this morning, getting ready for their days hike. Everyone was heading to town to restock, pick up parcels or get new shoes. I think this has been the toughest week on trail. Not because of the terrain, the elevation or the rocks but the dismal weather and the relentless mud. It is wearing us all out.

Ultra and Mary Poppins were the first ones out and I was left with the men and the boys. None of us were in a hurry. It is ten miles to town and we will get there by lunch. I drank my coffee, had a biscotti with some peanut butter, then headed to the Privy. This is the best part of Shelters. A proper toilet seat to sit upon while doing one’s business. After you’re done, you toss in some wood shavings, close the toilet lid and shut the door behind you. No flushing required.

I headed out ahead of the men. Once I was back on the AT, I immediately traced through the pig pen. The trail was downright, a muddy mess. I looked at my shoes and said, this is your last day. Let’s just walk straight through this disgusting disaster of a trail. And that’s what me and my Brooks did. Norman is lucky that he gets a free ride and hasn’t experienced this kind of filth. Sometimes it’s a good thing to be a monkey, riding high above, without a care in the world.

The miles clicked by so slowly. I had slept okay, once Chef was on his way. But my feet are hurting and I’m running on empty. I think it’s a combination of Vermud, the weather and all the endless rain, and the lack of anything truly remarkable, but mushrooms and Newts. This trail is much more physical than I had expected. Even with the thousands of miles I have walked before, this is different. The rocks bruise my feet, and the mud makes me feel like I’m wearing a brick underfoot. And now I’m dealing with trench foot because my socks are always wet. It’s just no more fun!

The trail meandered through the woods, lots of trees and more mushrooms. The good thing with all this rain is there’s an endless supply of water sources. I’m only filling one liter at a time so that saves weight. The trail turned into a gravel road for some time. It had lots of rocks and pea gravel in between. After five hours, I arrived in Manchester.

The Motel was close to the trail. There was no one at the Front Desk and the Hispanic Staff didn’t speak much English. Jose called someone on the phone and let me talk to her. She told me the system was down so she couldn’t check me in but would send someone over to assist. Hmm, I had all sorts of thoughts going through my head right about now!

After ten minutes or so, Paul shows up and checks me in. He asks for my Drivers License (DL) and Credit Card. When he looks at my DL, and comments on the nice photo of me. I tell him I usually look better than this but I’ve been rolling around in the mud for the past four days. He laughs and proceeds to drive me to the room across the way. I’m super grateful because honestly, I don’t think I can walk another step!

As soon as I get in the room, I take my wet soggy tent out of its bag and hang it outside. Then I get all my dirty laundry together, which is everything I own and put that in a pile. Finally, I head to the shower. I turn on the hot water and wait. It literally was 2-3 minutes before hot water started running. I proceed to stand in the shower and wash all the filth off me, for a very, very long time.

Just when I’m ready to throw in the towel, Jesus has a special surprise for me. When I wonder how I’m going to continue on, walk one more mile, go through another muddy path, my sweet Lord brings me a ray of sunshine named Natalya. Blue is coming to hike with me. Don’t tell her what I’ve been going through because she may turn around and fly back to California. I will break the news slowly, one step at a time, one muddy puddle after another. Oh how misery loves company! Welcome to the Appalachian Trail Blue. This is gonna be fun.

On a serious note, I really needed some talking off the ledge today. I was about as down as I could be and truly asking myself how I was going to continue. Just as my God planned it, Morgan May from Bayside Church shares a verse that cut me like a sword. It’s one I am very familiar with.

“Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31

Just when I thought that I could not go any further, when my feet could not walk another mile, and my legs were not strong enough, and my soul was crushed, that’s when God steps in. You child of mine, you are not suppose to be doing this in your own strength. You need to fix your eyes on me, your Heavenly Father, and let me help you. When you are weak and tired, depend on Jesus. Pass the trekking poles to the Lord and let Him take over. Then you can soar on eagles wings, you can run and not feel weary, and you can walk and not be faint! That’s my amazing and awesome God.