Part 1: Away, I'm bound away 'cross the wide Missouri
Once I hit the last five miles of the day I was completely drained. These miles were completely unshaded, and I think this was also the hottest day of the trip. I was also starting to feel the heavier pack. I couldn't convince my legs to run during the last five miles, so instead I power-walked them as fast as I could. It was great motivation to suddenly see the state capitol dome come into sight and have a visual marker of how much further I had to travel.
Lizzy and I originally planned to camp, but there were thunderstorms in the forecast and I was pretty worried about getting wet and getting too cold during the night. The previous night we camped we were bearably chilly, but without another persons body heat and with the chance of getting wet I knew I would be straight-up cold. Instead of camping I caught a cab in to Jefferson City and stayed at a hotel. I ordered Imo's Pizza (4th pizza of the trip!). As a true St. Louisan, there is nothing I love more than Imo's Pizza.
I let myself sleep in a bit this morning and woke up feeling sad, but not as absolutely gutted as I was the previous night. Also, the trail scenery changes drastically after Rocheport. Previously, the trail was surrounded by plains and farmland, but after Rocheport, you quickly hit the Missouri River, and you are in view of the river on one side and tall bluffs on your other most of the way to Jefferson City. The change in scenery was a big emotional boost. I was getting sick of running under the beating sun, and new scenery made it feel less like I was continuing on without Lizzy and more like a new trip. Also, it's quite peaceful to kind of flow along the trail and the river flows along next to you.
I made it to the turn-off to Columbia, Missouri, the point where I gave myself the option to bow out, but my spirits had lifted enough that I decided to continue on.
I lumped the next two parts together because they were pretty similar: I had awesome views of the Missouri River and was feeling pretty good physically. With Lizzy there, it was mentally pretty easy to run for two full miles, but I was finding that hard to do on my own, so I settled into a rhythm of walking one mile and running one mile. Every 4-5 miles I would stop for a five-minute sit down/snack break, and every 8-10 miles I would stop for a longer break. Because I was walking more, my running miles started to get a lot faster. It felt good to just let go and run instead of trying to hold back. I was now carrying a two-person tent and all of my food, so the pack was heavier and I was definitely feeling it.
Part 4: Channeling Mall-Walking Grannies. Getting My Power-walk On
Part 4: Channeling Mall-Walking Grannies. Getting My Power-walk On
Once I hit the last five miles of the day I was completely drained. These miles were completely unshaded, and I think this was also the hottest day of the trip. I was also starting to feel the heavier pack. I couldn't convince my legs to run during the last five miles, so instead I power-walked them as fast as I could. It was great motivation to suddenly see the state capitol dome come into sight and have a visual marker of how much further I had to travel.
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| Boathenge! |
Lizzy and I originally planned to camp, but there were thunderstorms in the forecast and I was pretty worried about getting wet and getting too cold during the night. The previous night we camped we were bearably chilly, but without another persons body heat and with the chance of getting wet I knew I would be straight-up cold. Instead of camping I caught a cab in to Jefferson City and stayed at a hotel. I ordered Imo's Pizza (4th pizza of the trip!). As a true St. Louisan, there is nothing I love more than Imo's Pizza.
Total recorded mileage: 35.3 miles
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