Day 60 - Thursday, August 11

Linda

We woke up about 8:00, but didn't have to rush for any reason, so it felt nice to just putter. Ronald went out to buy some OJ to go with our usual breakfast donuts. Later, I went around the corner to do laundry while Ronald stayed at the hotel to finish writing and repackaging the food. Indulged in another shower before packing up and leaving our humble abode. We walked down to Frank's place just to check in on the progress and ask if we could leave the packs there for the afternoon. Well, low and behold, the boots were sitting there all finished. That was great news! We gladly paid Frank the $15 for the repairs. He didn't have Vibram soles to fit, but the ones he put on will probably last just as well. Ronald put his boots on quickly and we walked a mile or so to McDonald's on Route 23 for a big Quarter Pounder and all the trimmings before trying to hitch a ride back up to High Point. We stood out on the road by McDonald's for 20 minutes and watched almost every approaching car pull in front of us into McDonald's parking lot. Boy, does that place do a business! Wish we owned that franchise. Finally, two guys sitting in a van in the parking lot eating their burgers motioned for us to come over. They had been out digging up rocks for Rutgers University. When they finished their lunch, they drove us back up to High Point, and we were back on the trail by 2:00. With Ronald's new soles and our new Dr. Scholl's flexo foam arch supports, we breezed over the rocks and managed to go 11 miles to the Glen Anderson Shelter by 6:30. Not bad at all, considering we could have still been stranded in Port Jervis. We did have to listen to a noisy group carry on all night, and fight to get a spot in the shelter with 5 boys on their bikes. That's the trouble when a shelter is only 50 yards from a road. It tends to become a party spot. Another good day.

Ron

We got up late this morning after what could only be considered an interesting night. Our bed dipped in the center so bad that we slept like sardines last night. The shoes were not supposed to be ready until 4:30. This would give us time to do all our chores and take in Port Jervis. While Linda took care of the laundry, I repackaged our food and fixed the gear.

After second showers we finished packing and checked out. Since we didn't want to drag the packs around town with us all day, we decided to check the repair shop. If my boots were not ready maybe we could leave our packs while we explored Port Jervis. When we arrived, my boots were sitting on the counter ready to go. We paid Frank and I put on my newly rebuilt boots with arch supports. Frank had done an excellent job with new stitching and soles. They were as good as new and felt like gloves.

We were relieved to be able to get back to the trail early. A quick stop at McDonald's for lunch was needed before heading back up to the trail. After lunch we sat the highway 20 minutes trying to hitch a ride to the trail. Almost every car that passed us pulled into the McDonald's parking lot. What started out as funny quickly became depressing. Finally a couple of guys in a van in the parking lot waved us over an gave us a lift to the trail head.

We were back on the trail by 2:00 after a mere 25 hour delay. With the new shoes and arch supports my feet feel great. We flew the next 11 miles and reached Glen Anderson Lean-to around 6:30. We arrived to find 5 cyclists had already taken up residence at the shelter. After a little persuasion they made room for us.

(11 Miles - 839.5 Total)