Slip N' Slide, May 24th

There was just so much rain today. So much mud. We were all just absolutely drenched.

Lumbermack had driven us back to the trail head this morning after yet another fantastic homemade meal. It ended up being an 18 mile day over to the next hostel, Saint Lukes Hostel. It was a rough hike. We went over a beautiful bald but then it started getting cold and hailing then the trails flooded. The bald would have been a lot of fun but it was quite miserable. It would have been a great place to fly kites with Dirty Duck. We did see a crawfish. I decided to remake them "Land Lobsters". The little guy was quite entertaining.

My insoles are starting to fall apart, I really need new shoes I think. They were bunching up in my shoes while walking in the flooded trails. My feet are extremely pruned.

While in the shelter my new Ibex shirt that I got from trail days ripped a large hole just from me pulling my shirt down.

Saint Lukes Hostel was a 4 mile drive down the road. I had service and was able to call for a ride to pick us up. The hostel was in a town called Burkes Garden. Burkes Garden is a small valleys surrounded by mountains on all sides like a bowl. It's really hilly and green. The hostel was still under construction. It was kinda like staying in a construction site for the night. The bunks didn't have mattresses yet, they had thin foam sheets, possibly to go under the carpet as a cushion. We were allowed to go in the main house and had a great evening with one of the employees. He made pizzas and brought out a bunch of leftovers from dinner for me to eat. I got homemade mashed potatoes with gravy and pork mixed in, a banana, and sliced cheese.

I'd love to see what the hostel building looks like when it's finished. I think it's be awesome with everything they have layed around ready to install.

There was a shepherd and an orange tabby cat in the house and they were so cute! At the end of the night when the dog was laying down on his side the cat walked over and curled up against his belly. It was so adorable! They were best friends and would groom each other too.

Tonight at Saint Lukes Hostel I'm at mile 574.3 with 1615.5 left to go.