Days 27 & 28: House to Myself, Spring In My Step

HANCOCK, MD —

April 20-21, 2024

Days 27 & 28:

Yesterday was very light mileage-wise. I spent the day in Williamsport at a hostel downloading some much-needed Gaia Map files for navigation purposes that required WiFi, due to their size. The hostel was a large house at the top of a hill, right where the C&O Trail hops off into town.

I had the place all to myself, which made me feel, without hyperbole, as though I was a king in a palace, which might be easy to understand, considering I’ve been sleeping in a tent almost everyday for the last near-month.

I spent the evening watching the NBA Play-In Tournament and eating buffalo chicken pizza from Tony’s, a pizzeria and Italian restaurant just two blocks down from the hostel. Those activities paired together reminded me of home, as my dad and I always grab some greasy sports grub and watch a ton of basketball at this time of year.

As some bikers made their way into the hostel the following morning, I made my way out, headed for Hancock. I walked for 20 miles today without much interaction with others aside a handful of sheepish yet gleeful Amish folk on bicycles. They were looking awfully high-tech in juxtaposition.

Today was encouraging from a conditioning standpoint. It was the first time I’ve done a 20-miler without essentially limping into camp at the end of the day. I might go so far as to say I still had some spring in my step as I pitched tent just outside of Hancock. I resisted the urge to keep pushing as to not get too ahead of myself. I need to be replicating today as consistently as possible while keeping in mind a la Slow Hand to not get so caught up in mileage that I miss the journey.

I now have roughly 50 miles left along the C&O, which is to say T-50 miles until West Virginia. This is the most alive I’ve felt in a long time. What a privilege and honor it is to walk, and even more so to do it with and for Greg. Today, I am, forgive the cliche, a happy camper.