19.47

I fell asleep so easily last night because it’s so warm and cozy inside the cabin. I did wake up a few times throughout the night as it got chillier, and I put more logs in the woodstove although I knew the warmest part of the wood stove was over for me. I woke up with no problem at 5 AM and started to get ready. It’s just as hard to get ready in a dark cabin as it was a dark tent and I wasn’t moving as fast as I wanted. I did get to enjoy the sunrise from the front window while eating breakfast though and it was absolutely beautiful.

Today’s going to be a really long day and I’m not sure if my motivation matches what I need to do. I have probably 12 km to get off this trail, then a short road walk, and a 5 km easy trail. The one thing really pushing me forward right now is that the guy who lent me the inReach, he’s going to meet me to do the next overnight trail. I think having some company for a hard trail and an overnight will do a lot to boost the last of my motivation

I stopped quite early last night and had really debated if I should have kept going. There was another spot I'd been told about by multiple people and it was probably a smart option. It took me about an hour and 45 minutes this morning to hike to this meadow;

I've been informed that this spot is also private land but the owner is a full supporter of the trail. He keeps the area mowed and provides a picnic table so people can enjoy the spot. There’s still a part of me that thinks I should have pushed on to it so that I would have an easier day today. However, the cabin was a really great experience and being warm, and having a leisurely dinner watching the sunset is something I haven’t really enjoyed much on this trip.

This trail truly feels like I’m just endlessly going up and never going back down. It’s still quite muddy but not quite as swampy as it was yesterday. The sun is also shining which will help dry up future trails. I'm not getting tired of the coastal views either;

I did run into another hiker probably about 2 1/2 hours in to my day. She also had a large pack like mine so I asked if she was going camping, she looked way too clean for me to ask if she was a thru hiker. I was surprised, when she said she was just going to the cove and back. I made a comment that it was quite the bag for just a day hike, especially since it wasn’t even going to be a whole day because she’s only doing half the trail and then back out. She said that she likes to have everything just in case, her bag was at least 40L, and then just stared at me. It was a little bit odd because I expected her to make a comment about me camping or something but she didn’t. So I told her enjoy her hike and carried on. 

At the top of the Cape I could see the next community that I was walking to, something to aim for, and then the trail finally started to seem to go downhill which was exciting after going up so much. A lot of today’s trail was in the forest again, this definitely helps me to just keep going fast because I’m not stopping to take pictures or admire the view. But it does make it a lot more boring. I think part of why I’m not super motivated today is because the past few days have been very boring trails. I think the one I’m camping out on is supposed to be really beautiful again. 

I got a message from J asking me to tell him when I was in service again, and automatically thought that he was going to bail on me. I jump to worst case scenario, just how I’m wired. I thought if he doesn’t come tonight there’s no way I’m going to make it to the campsite I want...And I have no other campsite recommendations really for this trail...And quite frankly I have very little motivation right now. I had myself convinced that he was going to bail and if he did, I didn’t know if I could continue. I’m not sure if it’s because I took two days off trail that I feel done, maybe the night at the cabin just made me realize I don’t want to keep going, maybe it’s because I’ve done boring trails, this was supposed to be my last day so mentally wrapping my head around it...

I messaged him back and he actually asked me how set I was on doing my 5 km easy path. He said he was getting a ride to the trail head and he could either meet me and do that path with me and then the road walk. Or if I wanted he could pick me up and just take me to the next trail head. This was definitely an idea that I had had as well. He said no pressure at all, either way works for him, it was my choice because it was my big hike but he just wanted to let me know that I had options.

And I said come pick me up and let's skip it. 

Going back on the trail after two days off, I haven’t been as motivated as I first was. I technically only have three days left and I’m more than halfway done one of them. I don’t see a point in quitting now and I really don’t want to. But I wouldn’t want to force myself to be hiking if I was miserable. Deciding to just skip the trail, even a 5 kilometer easy one so that I can have company and go at a more leisurely pace was a huge relief for me. I noticed an instant change in my mood, and started feeling much more motivated for the trails ahead.

Since I had his inReach, he could technically track me so he just told me what direction to head for and said he’d come get me. Once I finished the trail, I hit the road in the direction I need (it was also the only direction). I didn’t make it far before a car pulled over and a gentleman started asking me about my hike. He asked me where I spent the night and I said at the Sullivan cabin and he introduced himself as Lloyd Sullivan! We had a great chat about how much that cabin means when thru hiking the trail. He said he hoped I hadn’t been shy and that I lit a fire, which of course was the highlight. He then mentioned that his wife had seen someone heading onto the trail last weekend in the rain and how he tried to follow him to tell him to use the cabin. I am 99% sure he meant Dan, the other thru hiker so I told him he had loved the cabin too. It was really great meeting him and being able to thank him for his place. Newfoundland hospitality is unmatched.

J picked me up shortly after I said goodbye to Lloyd, and we headed to the next trail head. He wasn’t exactly sure where it was since it’s often in someone’s yard. My directions are all for walking so I couldn’t help much since we drove. I don’t think we got to the very beginning, rather a few kilometers in when it crosses the highway. At this point, I didn’t really care if I skipped a few more kilometers. It’s interesting how a few days ago I wouldn’t accept a ride for a road walk and now I’m skipping a whole trail. 

I really thought this trail, Spurwink Island Path, was supposed to be super scenic but I found it boring. We went through a lot of forest again and a lot of uphill's. I was glad we had skipped the other trail as it gave us time to take this one slowly. My calves are definitely feeling the uphill's and enjoying a slower pace. 

We're moving at a slower pace than I have been doing the previous days and I'm not sure how I feel. I'm glad we skipped a trail, as I'm not sure we'd have time to do it all at this pace. I think my body could use the slower pace to rest a little bit but it feels unnatural. We got to camp a little before 5 and quickly got our tents set up.

I thanked him profusely for joining me and was saying I had very little motivation to continue. I felt a little bad he was meeting me on this day when I wasn’t as excited as I had been previously. He was really great about it all and was definitely the boost of motivation I need at this point. 

I’m not going to push for an early morning tomorrow as I have an easy day in comparison to previous. I only have about 40km left so I’m not going to rush. I definitely thought about whether or not I could just push through it all and be done tomorrow but I think it’s a bit much. I think two easy last days will really help end this trip right. 

On an even more positive note, I finally have dry socks.