Day Zero in West Virginia (Day 79)

I didn’t sleep the best I could. The lodge was essentially one big bunk, and several hikers got up very early to head to Washington, DC. It was hard for me to sleep with all the alarms and foot movements, but I managed to fall back asleep and rest for a few more hours.

Appalachian Snail Coffee

I spent most of the morning at the Appalachian Snail Cafe, just down the street. I caught up on some tasks on my phone and drank two vanilla lattes (my favorite coffee). This, coupled with some other bad decisions, turned out to be a mistake. At home I never eat breakfast, but on the road my body has become accustomed to receiving food early and throughout the day. Drinking that much caffeine without eating seemed to be a shock to the system.

Drop in blood sugar

I left the coffee shop and took the local bus to Walmart to resupply. When I arrived, I was feeling pretty shaky and sick due to low blood sugar. I bought everything I needed and ate some snacks while waiting for the bus back to the hostel. But because I waited so long to eat, it took me a few hours to start feeling better and I had to lie down most of the afternoon.

Kelley Farm Kitchen

The friend who was behind me on the road one day arrived at the hostel late in the afternoon. I took a zero day so he could catch up to me and tomorrow we will hang out again. We had dinner at Kelley Farm Kitchen, which offered many great gluten-free and vegetarian options. I ate some vegetable spring rolls and felt great to eat something healthy. Hopefully that, along with a good night’s rest, will make me feel much better tomorrow.

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