Date: April 9, 2016

At the end of our first 5 day backpacking trip we were both smiling. As Andy said, “that was fun, good thing we get to do more!”

The first off trail shower felt amazing! We had a great dinner with Lindsey, Toph, Sandy (Lindsey’s mom) and the kiddos. We couldn’t wait to sleep in a bed and as our heads hit the pillow- we were out!

Today was a rest day. We slept in, savored the feeling of hot water, endless access to fresh fruits and veggies and the ability to sit and chill. We ran a few errands and played with the kiddos. It is wonderful to feed off of their excitement as they ask “what’s this?” about everything.

We set up our tent in the garage to dry. Kirby, Teddy and Laurie crawled inside to see what camping was all about. Teddy and Kirby loved drinking out of the platypus bladder and were fascinated by all of the bars. 

We organized food and set up our packs for the next 7 day section. The first 30 miles will be without water (1 water cache at mile 14 but we are still undecided if we want to count on that).

Andy is feeling good but my body is still hurting. My knee is good but I have a blister on the bottom of my left foot near my metatarsal head (or fat pad). I limp when I walk- not sure if this is due to blister pain or bone pain in the foot. I have been icing and stretching all day and it keeps feeling better and better. Tomorrow will be the true test.

Before the hike when people asked how I was training, I would joke that I was training by eating pints of ice cream for breakfast. I consider myself to be a fit individual but I am now being reminded that training is sport specific. I should have done more walking- oh well- hopefully my body is as resilient as I want it to be! (And a foam roller will help in the meantime!)

We want to thank Lindsey and Toph again for opening their home to us. They are spectacular people and have a beautiful family. We really enjoyed spending time with them! 

Today we are grateful for generous friends and the curiosity of young minds.

The following are pictures of the day with Teddy and Kirby