Day 28
Miles today:  20.4 miles
Miles so far:  458.1 miles
Campsite: The 88 store.

Again, I forgot to celebrate another milestone. 400 miles done already!

Alex woke at 230am and was gone by 4am. He wanted to get to the 88 store early. I was on the trail by 7am. It was yet another foggy day but a nearby fire was making the air dense. It smelled smokey. It has been a slow going week for me. I believe the heat has been getting to me. Who would of thought? Me, having a hard time with the heat in February! Whew.

The trail was beautiful today and it was made of sand. Lots and lots of sand, making it hard to walk on sometimes. We have been getting a few uphills and downhills, surprisingly. Saw a few bear prints which was pretty neat!

Around 1pm FrontPage was walking towards me! I yelled out that he was going the wrong way. He had walked the western corridor and wanted to meet up again. It was a nice to be hiking with someone today. He told me about some trail magic ahead. Chuck Norris and Tigger had left a cooler out for thru-hikers with sodas. It was a pleasant sight to see after a hot and dry day. Thanks guys!

We made it to the 88 store and Alex had already been here for hours. We all ordered a frozen pizza and waited for them. Once they were ready, we didn’t let them get cold. Us, thru-hikers, have an enormous appetite. The 3 pizzas were gone in an instant. I have to admit, the last piece I had was difficult to finish ha.

The 88 store doesn’t have much to offer food wise: a few sugar filled pastries, candies and frozen pizzas. If you’re looking for beer, they sure have that. They have $5 hot showers and $3 laundry available as well. Once we arrived here, I sat outside with FrontPage. A man approached me telling me I had a pretty smile… I told him of course, I had all my teeth! I couldn’t help saying it. He continued to talk to me, in his drunken stage, but I wasn’t able to make up half of what he was saying. I smiled and noded then went inside. He followed us and asked where I was staying. I let him know out back the back with Alex and FrontPage. Without hesitation he made an obscene gesture and I told him no way. He told me he had a “double wide” and lots of food if we wanted. Kind of him but no. Then he fell face forward from having a few too many. After making sure he was alright, FrontPage helped him back up, I sneaked out back to my tent. I was not in the mood to deal with an old perverted man. I don’t work at the bar anymore. Ha!

Tonight we are camping behind the bar for free. Nice of them to let us do that but it feels weird. It’s almost hiker’s midnight and people on the porch are yelling at each others. Now I can checked camping behind a bar off my list… For all the thru-hikers, you have to stop there. It’s a must!

It’s supposed to rain tomorrow, let’s hope it’s not bad. Happy trails! My feet stayed dry today!