South of Hunterville to Hunterville (10.32 miles/16.61 kms)

I woke up this morning to a cold and wet 46 degrees, one of those mornings I didn’t want to get out of the sleeping bag. I am starting to think that many mornings, as mornings are much darker now as it doesn’t get light until a little after 7:00 and I usually wake up at 6:00. It makes getting ready earlier a bit more difficult and gives me an excuse for laying there longer.

I didn’t sleep well last night as my back bothered me a little. I generally go to my chiropractor, Robert Berkovitz, every month or two for an adjustment, and it’s been almost three months since I last saw him. Since I injured my back over twenty years ago, his chiropractic adjustments have worked for me better than anything short of surgery. The walking generally doesn’t bother me, and he had always told me it’s better than sitting. But, I think it’s the awkward positions of sitting and reading in the tent before going to sleep, and laying on the hard surfaces even with a pad.

Today turned out to be a short day in time and distance. I didn’t start until 9:00 because the extra time to pack up the wet tent. The weather was cool, with the sun never coming out, and the road fairly flat, perfect for trekking, but I just didn’t feel that same energy I had yesterday.

My plan was to make it to Hunterville and buy staples and go further and camp for the night. By the time I got to Hunterville around 1:00, I didn’t feel I had the energy to go further and decided to stop here and get some type of accommodations. I found three motels in town and called them. One was out of business and the second was full. The third had an answering machine message stating they didn’t open until 3:00. I didn’t want to get stuck waiting until 3:00 and then finding out it was all booked, so I went to the hotel located on a side street. There was a number posted on the door and got the owner who lives upstairs.

I had a choice of a cabin type room, which wasn’t the nicest, and a choice of several beautiful rooms in the main building, but all on the second floor without an elevator. The owner said he wasn’t sure if his wife would like me dragging the Wheelie up the stairway, so I just picked the cabin style room, and it wasn’t that bad. However, I can see the light around the gaps between the door and frame though.

The hotel has a rich history of a boom time when the train use to stop here. It was built in 1885 and was needed as the stop was usually late in the night. The old pictures on the walls show a much busier town than today.

I got here early enough that I was able to hang the wet tent out to dry. Even though my sleeping bag is hydrophobic and doesn’t absorb water, it tends to be moist and needed to air out as well. That was also a good reason to stop here today.

There are a few cafes and a store within a block of the hotel, and there is also a pub and restaurant here too. I went out for an early dinner/lunch at a cafe and got the staples at the store for tomorrow. I went to the nice pub here later in the evening and had a snack and drink. The pub had a nice atmosphere and seemed to be all locals.

I am all set to head out tomorrow, but I think my body is telling me I could use another day of rest. I am not in a hurry, and if my body needs another day of rest, I should take it. I felt I need a short day today, and it’s one day at a time, and I’ll see how I feel tomorrow.

Best wishes to all,

Ted

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