Thanks to a mostly flat trail, I made it 14 miles without too much pain. I had to walk very slowly and deliberately, though, because every time I attempted to up the pace the pain intensified. Hiking so slowly was a bit annoying and made the hike feel endless. However, I was entertained by Andy Serkis as he read The Hobbit to me so I suppose things could be worse. (Note: Serkis is a phenomenal narrator and I highly recommend listening to him - this is my 5th time ‘reading’ the book and I’m enjoying it tremendously.)
The trail went by Lake Granby, Shadow Mountain Lake, and finally Grand Lake. My favorite part of the hike today was the section before Shadow Mountain Lake, where we walked through meadows full of wildflowers. Consequently, the only time I felt frustrated (other than having to go slow) was when I had to navigate through a marsh in the middle of a meadow - I couldn’t find a way around and ended up wading through the muddy water, which wasn’t pleasant. Otherwise, it was a peaceful stroll. A slow stroll, but I’m coming to terms with that. I’m just happy to be able to hike at all.
Trail Angel Candice called when I was on the trail along Grand Lake and she told me she was planning to drive up from Denver to see us again - I wasn’t expecting to see her this time and couldn’t stop smiling after I found out she was on her way. Love her!
Another thing that made me smile was when a guy with his son (who earlier had biked passed me on the trail) stopped to ask if I wanted an apple or a banana. I had been listening to Serkis at the time so I misheard him and thought he was asking if my name was Apples. After a brief moment of confusion for both of us, I ended up with both an apple and a banana to enjoy as I made my way to meet Nick. Delicious.
I met Nick at the grocery store for supplemental snacks, after which we decided to get something to eat at Rockies, one of the restaurants we haven’t yet tried in town. Walking through Grand Lake was fun and familiar, but my issue decided enough was enough and started to protest again. At least we didn’t have far to go and at least it was mostly flat. No ibuprofen needed.
For dinner, Candice cooked us a shepherds pie with elk, ground beef, AND bacon. It. Was. Delicious. I’m pretty sure I ate half the pan. What did I do to deserve such a good friend? I’m so very grateful.
I’m tempted to stay another day here, but I know it won’t make a difference with my issue and will only put us further behind and cause more stress - at this point, either my body will figure things out or it won’t. Still, Candice makes it very difficult to leave.
Along the trail:
