June 27
Mileage 23.5
Mile 1354 to mile 1377.5

I’m groggy in the morning, slow to warm up. Tired, should’ve gone to bed earlier. It’s so hard, though, when the sun is up so late. And when you’re cowboy camping next to someone jacked up on mountain dew.

Hiking uphill, joints and muscles stiff, I’ve got that post-35 mile hangover. No matter though, it’s just a few miles up and then flat- all the way to Old Station. I just have to make it by 4:30 to get my box from the post office. This should be cruiser.

Oh boy though, am I stiff. My whole body aches. I’m walking through a burn and I stop to take a break in the shade and my body is yelling at me- go to sleep, it says. Go to sleep right now. Just curl up in this shade and go to sleep.

In spite of all of this, I make it to Old Station on time. Other hikers are there, gathered around the picnic table in front of the convenience store. New hikers, hikers we’ve only recently met. All our friends are behind us- they stayed the night in Chester. Hopefully we’ll see them soon.

I buy a shower, do a load of laundry. Eat a burger. Typical old station stuff. I try to catch up on my blog but I’m tired, so tired. At dusk we walk into the woods behind the store, find a place to stealth camp. An ATV blows by at one point but other than that, it’s peaceful. It reminds me of when I used to ride trains, and I’d find secret places to sleep next to the freeway, behind industrial buildings. In hidden chunks of forest, where no-one knew I was there.

Some of the best nights sleeps I’ve ever had.

Photos on instagram.