Finding Joy On The Trail

Day 187

Tuesday September 26, 2017

Miles: 1883.5 - 1891.6.   Completed: 8.1

Time: 6:00am 1:40pm

Weather: HOT

Room at Royalty Inn Gorham, NH

Gorham, New Hampshire is a quaint, hiker friendly town. It has just what trail folk need without being overly crowded. There are a couple hostels, several motels, eateries, and resupply stores. We chose a room at a the Royalty Inn over a hostel. By this time I had enough of sharing sleeping quarters and bathrooms with strangers. I prefer my own space.

The hike out was a 3,000 foot descent over six miles. The last 2 Miles was sweet which meant most of the down was squeezed into four miles. The end may have been a cakewalk but the morning was not.  I was tired and sore. To make matters worse The numbness in my hand and arm has grown worse. It us d to trouble me only at night interrupting my sleep. Since the hike out from Madison it has been happening during the day to where I am unable to use grip my pole. I hope it’s just an overuse injury and will eventually heal once we are off Trail. Until then I rest it as much as I can by only using one stick. 

Despite my increasing ailments I still find joy on the trail. I see it everyday. Sometimes it’s in the smells, character of the trail, animals, sights and etc. Today it was the sky, a mixed palate of colors. 

It was easy to forget about my pain when the surroundings were so beautiful. And even if the aches cried out louder I still counted it all joy.

Happy Hiking.