SEP 1st

I set my alarm for 7 then dozed when it went off.
At 7.30 I turned on the shower waited a few minutes  for the hot water to run through then entered.
The hot water woke  me and brought me back to life.
Wow I feel much better now, I put on the coffee machine and  began to get dressed.
I wanted to get back to the trail quickly  so rather than hitch I booked a shuttle  for 10.30.
Time for breakfast, I headed to reception to get my voucher before entering the restaurant. 
It was a little busier than yesterday but was able to find a empty table. I ordered the basic breakfast  with an additional egg and toast. The waitress soon returned  with coffee. I’m not  big coffee drinker but this was good.

My phone pinged, my shuttle had  texted back  to confirm…Great.
My breakfast appeared and I set about making it disappear. followed by several more coffees and I was done.
I was just about to leave when several other hikers came in,  I’d seen them before  but didn’t know their names. I went over  and gave them the info I had. The bus, how it works ,where the grocery store was etc
Back at my room I finished packing I had a bottle of lemonade, several beers  and a tube of Pringles  that I couldn’t eat , drink  or get into my already stuffed pack so reluctantly I left them.
My next job was to phone Anaconda  post office to see if I could bounce my poles that I had ordered from the UK  but which had been stuck in customs for the last 10 days. I rang a half dozen  times then gave up. Oh well I tried..
I did several more walk arounds of my room before hoisting up my pack and leaving.

I walked to reception handed over my door cards and went outside.
Tom the shuttle man pulled in.
I put my pack into the back then got in. My phone pinged again. It was a alert saying my poles from Rei had been delivered and were ready to pick up. Fantastic. 
Tom detoured to the post office and I was in and out, leaving with new poles. Whoop.
Tom then headed back to the trail , we were so busy chatting  and then I was stepping back into the trail .
I thanked Tom, adjusted my new poles and began to walk.
It was going to be an up for 2.5 miles  then  normal up and downs for 8 miles followed  by a big climb .such fun.
The trail was dirt road that went to the top where all the radio TV masts  were.  After about a mile I ran into a construction team who were busy burying a new electric cable. They stopped so I could walk by .the man on the digger was very interested in my walk and so we ended up chatting for  a good 10 minutes.

Okay back to the trail, the road snaked up this mountain  until at last I was up with the masts before dropping down the other side
A few yards down I decided to stop for lunch  as it was 12pm.

I found a suitable tree and dropped my pack. I ate the apple and ham that  I had carried out .
Just then two hikers came down the trail. I said hi. But as they hadn’t seen me they both jumped
So so sorry  I said.
It was the Israeli  couple  who I had last met  during the Moose family encounter,  again back in Colorado.
We chatted for several minutes before they headed off.

Okay snail let’s go …. for most of the after I appeared to head down which always worried me.
As I headed down yet another hill I noticed a hiker sat at the bottom, when I got closer I could see it was the Israelis  and they were sat by the water cache. (Another that Tom maintains)
I stopped and dropped my pack  I guzzled a litre then filled up both bottle’s, as the next water is far.
Okay time to walk…I headed out then began to cross several large fields or meadows. When I stopped to admire the view I noticed  several hikers behind me the Israeli  couple and 1 other.
I pushed on as the trail meandered the scenery constantly changing.
As I often stop to admire the views and film the Israeli couple soon caught and passed  me.
I hadn’t planned on doing a long  or late day so when 5.30 arrived followed by a nice camp spot I called it a day.
11 miles  that’s fine.
I quickly put up my tent and cooked dinner and then could relax. I push  for longer tomorrow

as I began to relax the mooing of cows started and i was a little concerned that I had pitched my tent on the cow freeway.
FUCK Omg a cow walked by brushing against my tent oh that’s not good, i opened the flaps and watched as i was surrounded by cows.
thankfully on seeing my tent the cows began to detour around it, but it still made me nervous as I closed my eyes and hoped for morning.

Mileage  11.(1/2 Day)