Days 51 and 52 – Daleville Zero

Day 51 – In Daleville

My alarm went off at 5:45am and I was on my way an hour later. Start the day early to reach Daleville, more than 9 miles away, for lunch. I don’t have many photos this morning, since my phone ran out of battery. Fortunately, the miles were pretty easy and I made good progress. As I got closer to the trailhead, I started seeing more and more hikers, which made sense but also seemed curious since it was Tuesday. Since I was in the lead position of our group and we agreed to meet at Cracker Barrel for lunch, when I passed an apartment building with an outside electrical outlet, I stopped and took advantage. I was there long enough for my phone to work at 30% before Fuego and MasterChef arrived and I joined them. We made the rest of the hike to Cracker Barrel, although crossing under the interstate bridge was a bit tricky and I wouldn’t recommend crossing it on foot. Anyway, we got to Cracker Barrel and I quickly found the biggest breakfast menu item I could find and ordered it. Breakfast was very varied and by the end I was completely full.

After eating, I headed to the store to take a look at the shoes. As I mentioned above, my feet felt like they were hitting my current pair of shoes and my left shoe had a 3″ tear in the top. Which could have gone on longer, but I had enough of this pair at this point.

In talking to the supplier, they thought my current pair of shoes were too big, even though a previous supplier recommended that size. I also looked at different models of shoes to see if there was anything potentially better on the market. Although the options were limited due to my need for a wide shoe. I couldn’t make a decision since they didn’t have the size I was looking for in one of the shoes I was interested in, so they sent it to me the next day for me to review.

BeeCH Hill B&B

My room for the night

After finishing at the outfitter, I headed back to the trail and walked a mile to BeeCH Hill B&B and Hostel. As I was walking along the trail I ran into a couple and they stopped to say hello. After they started talking, I realized we had shared a ferry in Georgia on my second day of traveling. Such a small world and it was fun to see them again, especially since they were from Tennessee and were passing through.

Upon arriving at the hostel, I quickly checked in and continued with my chores. I finished most of them in time to catch the shuttle into town to complete my food resupply and have dinner. I got everything I needed at Kroger and then ate at Three Lil Pigs BBQ. I got half a chicken which was great and I even got a free dessert for being a Thru-hiker! Satiated, I returned to the hostel to work on a few blog posts, before calling it a day and going to bed.

Day 52 – Zero in Daleville

Day zero in Daleville today. It all started with an amazing breakfast at BeeCH Hill B&B Hostel. Coffee, baked egg with sausage and some kind of apple French toast. After breakfast I picked up my things and headed to the Quality Inn, where I was going to spend the night. They had a decent hiker rate and that’s where Fozzy, Fuego and MasterChef were staying tonight. Plus, it would be my first night since starting the tour having a room to myself, which will be nice.

I was able to get to my room early and get settled. The first thing I had to do was shave my head. I had grown tired of letting it grow and returning to normal at the top. Unfortunately, the only thing I had to use was a manual shaver, which while it did the job, took me over an hour to do. Once that was done, I worked on the blog posts for the next two hours. Having made enough progress on my blog, I went to the supplier to decide on the shoes. I was debating whether to stick with the Topo Ultraventures I had been using, but downsize to 11W, or go with the Topo Vista, also in 11W. I had tried the Vista shoes before and didn’t love the fit, but I was frustrated by how quickly the Ultraventures mesh upper broke down. I ended up choosing the Vista as the extra cushioning felt good and I was ready to try something new.

the new kicks

Having decided, I went next door and met Ground Control and Major Tom in the cafeteria. I was planning on having a smoothie (fruit and stuff), but Major Tom ordered an Espresso smoothie and it looked divine. So I ordered one of them and it was fantastic. After chatting with them for a while, they returned to the trail and I returned to the hotel. By this time, it was time for dinner and I headed to Cracker Barrel with Fuego, MasterChef, Tagalong and Bushwack. After a great fried chicken dinner, we headed back to the hotel for a few beers. I ended up staying up really late talking and hydrating myself to Fuego and MasterChef, but I still had a great time.

Day 51 Statistics:

10.3 miles

1,401′ ascent, 2,112′ descent

Lamberts Meadow Camping at BeeCH Hill B&B/Hostel

1 DSLC…

Stove use times: 9

Statistics for day 52:

0 miles

0′ rise, 0′ fall

BeeCH Hill B&B/Hostel at Quality Inn

2DSLC…

Stove use times: 9

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