Belclutha to south of Milton (13 miles/21 kms)

Another late night for me!

What a day today turned out to be, surely not the same as yesterday. But when it comes to trekking you never know what you’ll get from one day to the next.

As I was writing my blog last night it started to rain and I rather enjoy hearing the soothing sound of the rain on the roof of the tent, but I don’t like hearing it when I wake up in the morning, which I did.

It was 6:00 in the morning and pouring rain, and a cold wet 46 degrees.

I don’t mind walking in the rain since I have all the right gear, however I don’t like breaking down a tent and packing the gear into the Wheelie in the rain! Everything gets wet and starts to stink or get mildew. If I wasn’t trekking today I would have been happy just to stay wrapped up in my warm sleeping bag, which I ended up doing for about another half hour until the rain finally stopped.

I got my toiletries done and I wiped down the tent and uncovered the poncho from Wheelie. I looked at the horizon and saw it was clear and cloudless in almost 360 degrees, except the huge black cloud directly above. Sure enough within less than a minute it started to pour again! I scrambled to throw everything back into the tent and threw the poncho back on the Wheelie. This wouldn’t be the last time today that it would happen either.

Twenty minutes later the rain stopped and I wiped down the tent again and packed everything up. Off I went around 9:00, an hour later than usual and I hadn’t eaten.

I walked to the downtown Balcultha, which was about two blocks away, and found it busy and rather pleasant with all the stores and restaurants, etc. I saw the Cafe 55 and went in to have breakfast. They had a fairly basic breakfast menu but I was surprised at the variety of specialty sandwiches, pastries, and other foods they had on display. I ordered my high carb heavy breakfast with eggs, and jokingly told the nice young woman behind the counter that I’d probably take something with me but I couldn’t make up my mind since there were so many good choices. I told her the pasta salad looked great, and she replied that she had made it and it would be something good for me on the road.

As I sat eating my breakfast the young woman came over to my table and handed me a container packed full of the pasta salad and said it was on the house! Wow! It just surprises me, but it really shouldn’t because there are more nice people in the world than I sometimes think, that in such a short period of time that I’ve been here I’ve meet so many kind people. I think I am blessed!

After many thanks, I was finally went off, now at 10:00. My goal had been to make it to Milton, fourteen miles away. I had no place there to stay, but the owner of a hostel told me he might be able to find a place for me, but not for sure. I have reminded myself that I am not in a rush and I’ll be happy to be wherever the end of the day gets me, and sleep wherever I can.

I didn’t have my rain gear on or the Wheelie covered because the forecast for the day was no rain. As I crossed the Clutha River I felt a few rain drops and I noticed the sky was black! No rain, ha! I stopped and put on my rain coat and the rain cover for the Wheelie, but not the poncho for the backpack attached to the Wheelie. Surely as soon as I did this the sun came out and I got so hot I took off my rain coat.

Once I crossed the Clutha River the road started to climb steeply for about a mile and a half. Once I got near the top it started to rain again. Ominous black clouds, and this time along with a howling wind. The forecast warned of wind gusts up to 40 mph today, and these winds were that but close. I had stopped on a wide shoulder and near a gate and was scrambling to get my coat on and the poncho. It was pouring horizontally and I was fighting the wind to place the poncho on the Wheelie so I could strap it down. The wind was pulling it out of me hands. I partially wrapped it around the Wheelie handles when the wind blew my favorite, been all over the world, Tilley, hat off of my head. I even had the chin strap on. It flew across the fence and landed about twenty feet on the other side of the fence, only about twenty feet from a drop of about 200 feet down a canyon.

I was still fighting to secure the poncho and saw my poor hat waiting to be blown down the gully of hell! My poor hat! I had to choose, lose the poncho, or lose my hat? Sophie’s choice!

I reacted so quickly and shoved the Wheelie against the gate wedging the poncho between the Wheelie and gate. I jump, yes I did, over the gate, like a super hero might! I was trying to save my now best friend, my hat! Phew, got it before it blew away!

I took my time and covered the Wheelie and tightened the strap on my hat, never changed anything after that even when it got hot.

I figured that even if I only trekked two or three miles today it would be fine because karma was not going my way today. Not like yesterday.

I actually did find somewhat of a nice rhythm, and maybe because distance didn’t matter today. The terrain was just as grueling as yesterday with so many steep ups and downs. Today was the first day that I noticed some shin splints pain in both my legs. I am sure it’s because of the steep downhills which usually causes it.

Not to jinx myself, but both my knees seem well. I still have to stop and think that a year ago, after my left knee replacement in January, I was using a walker and then a cane. It was humbling to have to use them after all the trekking I had done. I have to be thankful and feel blessed that only thirteen months after my replacement I am back to doing what I love.

Because I felt a little pain in my right knee last May when I trekked the Camino in Spain, I had a MRI a few weeks before leaving for this trip. The orthopedic surgeon said I have arthritis in that knee, along with a contusion on the patella, and a tear in the meniscus, but he gave me the ok to go. He said scoping (cleaning it the meniscus) wouldn’t really have better results in five years compare to not having surgery, so go until you can’t. And that’s what I am doing.

About 3:00 I started thinking of finding a camp spot since I would not make Milton. I found a few good spots but I felt it was still to early to quit. Once the road came out of the hills and through the level terrain there were none to be found. Around 5:00 I became concerned and decided I would just stop at a farm and ask to camp there.

Fortunately for me, I stopped at Scott Johnston’s farm. He was working on a motorcycle in his workshop. I yelled out a hello, and when he came out I wasn’t sure about the look on his face. He asked me immediately if I was an American. When I said yes he went into a whole story about how he had traveled from California to the west coast and how he had stopped to talk to American farmers, and how much he liked Americans. I guess I stopped at the right place!

Next thing I know he suggest that I stay in a nice shed, and then he takes me into the house and says I could just stay in the house. Do I like steak and beer? At that point he was being so nice I thought he might even offer me the farm!

I really appreciated his offers by my tent is my sanctuary at night, my place of rest and peace, and I was tired. His farm worker suggested a spot on the edge of his 900 acres along a stream that is sheltered from the wind by trees. Scott offered to load the Wheelie in his truck and he’d drive me there, but the offer to stay at the house was still there.

So off we went, but not straight to the camp spot. Scott drove me around the whole 900 acres and showed me his 900 cows, half young cows under five years of age, and the other half that are over five years of age, the older ones better producers. He also took me to the milking shed to show me the milking machines. He showed me how he tracks the production of every cow on a computer. The output of individual cows are tracked every day, along with the fat content, solids (?), etc., only what a dairy farmer knows. All 900 are tracked.

Scott took me through the various fields where he grows barely, and several other gasses or grains for the winter feed when the natural grasses don’t grow.

After several hours on a wonderful guided tour we finally got to my camp spot. Of course our conversation didn’t end there because Scott left it open for me to go back to his house for dinner, beer, and spending the night. I was ready to hit the sack so I opted to camp out, and that was at 7:00.

Another great unexpected experience. Funny too, but this is kind of how we met our friends Brian and Shirley, while they were tending to their dairy farm.

There must have been a purpose (karma) in the morning when that young woman gave me the pasta salad because it’s my dinner for tonight.

I have no solid plans or goals tomorrow and I’ll just play it by ear. I just know that I will have to leave here before 9:30-10:00 because Scott is going to come by to see if I am still here. If I don’t leave I will have to spend at least two days here. Not that would be bad, and actually great, but if I keep stopping I’ll never reach Cape Reinga.

Best wishes to all,

Ted

Please excuse the typos, spelling, grammar, etc., as I am typing this on my phone.

Driving through the fields