NCT Diary: Aug 18-28

Petosky to Marquette, MI

Aug 18th: painted Lady Victorians in Petosky. feeling extremely tired and done with hiking, sore ankle, good trail association map at trailheads. Nearo did not feel like a nearo. Don't wanna go to school today.

Aug 19th: running to meet guy at 5 at bridge, big hotdog-shaped hotdog stand, headache and ankle pain, didn't wanna be hiking, conversation about negativity despite good trail, wanted a rest day but it didn't feel like a rest in St Ignace

Aug 20th: late start, guilt over writing, miscommunication with Tree b/c I don't check my voicemails. Feeling anxious and then feeling even worse for not appreciating gorgeous trail, panicky about writing, felt so bad only did 20mi and now we have to do 35mi every single day ahhh time stress

Aug 21: camp in gorgeous pine barrens

Aug 22: came out into a prairie like the west, lonely firs and grasshoppers floating away from every step, Yorkie puppy and trail magic, can't camp by river

Aug 23: lake superior views, frustrating podcasts wouldn't download, sparkling Tehquamenom river, coffee can of trail magic at lunch (perfect because I was running out of food), 35s every day and in a rush. Pine smell, thinking about music, found sound. Musical idea: I went out walking song remixed with first two lines and my own voice layered in harmony, which inevitably leads to thinking about The Books album Lost and Safe. GPS not working which means I am free from worrying about miles for at least a little while. Seems like it's been weeks since I was lost in my own thought

Aug 24: wake up to hounds baying in the distance, misty morning, wild blueberries in orange dawn. Lake Superior views all day, deep sand torn up by orvs. Like going uphill except its flat, or like Timberline Lodge approach on the PCT. So many horseflies. Shoreline sunset camp

Aug 25: stable flies in the morning, Sandhill Cranes like Dr Seuss characters, sound like broken cuckoo clocks. C slow walking and texting, because he has a life big enough that he can’t just put it on hold for 8 months. I made my life small enough fit in the cracks between thru-hikes. Tradeoff, I get to disappear and enjoy my hike. Sticky morning where the phone screen is too damp to work, thinking about all the complex biology happening on my skin, microbes and their waste products. Lazy lazy 5hr break, had 3 campsites in town unoccupied and moved from shade patch to shade patch while charging electronics. feeling human after laundry and shower, sad grocery store so decided to resupply in Munising and rearrange miles to zero in Marquette. Needed that long break, 27 miles today but felt like nothing. Pictured Rocks, not actually as pretty as the superior shore we just walked yesterday. Can't believe we camped overlooking the sunset just this morning, feels like a few days ago. Felt like a real hiking day where we could just do whatever we wanted again

Aug 26: lots of regular backpackers. what is in those giant packs? Smells like autumn. Reached the stage of a thru-hike where my shoulders hurt all the time and all I want to read or listen to is food porn. Fantasizing about the eating scene in the beginning of crazy rich Asians and really wanna go to Singapore. Also, olive garden. Gimme that endless salad and red sauce Italian carb overload goodness. Munising: checkout clerk treated us like dirt because she thought we were homeless which bothered both of us immensely - even if we were, homeless people don't deserve to be treated like shit. Loud road walk out, couldn't hear each other because cars were hauling ass. definitely rode this road on my bike trip. camp at Wagner Falls, frustrated C because we couldn't find a flat spot anywhere but good talks and cuddles over chicken&bagel sandwiches in camp. So good, so snuggly. Good to wake up early today. Felt more like a hiking day

Aug 27 mostly flat roadbed, cool morning with threatened rain, thinking how this is possibly a Walhalla situation where promised heavy rain just keeps getting pushed back and never appears. Easy steady walking, bike trip memories. Rain, lunch under bridge, sitting quietly saw a weasel run all along the bank on the other side, silent and quick.

Aug 28th: 20 mile run into town, hectic right at trailhead and mix-up with hotels but relaxing after

Aug 29th: that's today! I'm caught up! Spent all day doing chores, had awesome trail angels and talked gear over ice cream after they gave us a ride to go resupply. I gotta go eat pizza and my phone is about to die because the outlets are too far from the bed in this motel. But I get to write nice little paragraphs from now on, and that's so exciting. Talk to you soon!