Part 0: MORE PLANS MORE FUN but Don't Panic if Everything Doesn't go Exactly to Plan
Lizzy and I are both big planners so our joking/not-joking motto about this trip and life in general is 'more plans, more fun,' and today it seemed that all of my carefully laid plans might be shattered. Cue panic and anxiety.
I decided to mail my tent back home because I knew I wouldn't be able to make it the rest of the trip with such a heavy pack, but the post office didn't open until 8, so my plans of getting an early start to the day to avoid afternoon thunderstorms were out the window.
I planned to catch a cab from the post office to the trail head, but when I called the cab company there was a 45 minute wait. It would be faster to walk, so I set off. I definitely called both Lizzy and my boyfriend panicking about plans. My boyfriend reassured me that I was capable of making on-the-fly decisions, and Lizzy listened carefully and helped me make about 1,000 contingency plans. Thanks guys.
Part 1: What Cruel God Created Mosquitos?
When I checked the weather in the morning, there were thunderstorms predicted to start at 3pm and last all afternoon and evening. After seeing tons of downed trees from previous storms, I decided I didn't want to be out on the trail during a thunderstorm and risk getting squished like a bug. Unfortunately, there weren't many lodging options along this stretch of trail. I could either finish the planned 32 miles and stay in Bluffton or only finish 12 miles and stay in Tebbetts. Knowing this, I decided to take the section from North Jefferson to Tebbetts in a single shot and then check the weather again and decide whether or not to push on. Luckily, by the time I got to Tebbetts, thunderstorms were predicted to hold off until 6pm. I'd be pushing it, but I thought I could get to Bluffton or at least very close to Bluffton before the storms rolled in.
This leg of the trip was exciting because I met more trail friends! I met a couple from Arizona biking the trail, and a family from Colorado also biking the trail. They had both started a day after Lizzy and I, but their agendas for the remainder of their trips had them doing approximately the same mileage I was doing for the rest of my trip. It was really fun to leapfrog them the rest of the week.
Even though I was next to the river for most of the previous day, mosquitoes weren't a big issue, but with the previous night's thunderstorms and rain there was standing water along either side of the trail. Mosquito heaven. When I was running they wouldn't bother me, but I got eaten alive while I was walking.
Part 2: A Burger as Big as Your Head
I had planned to stop in Mokane to buy some groceries for the rest of the trip, and decided to stop for a big lunch while I was there because I was worried about having time to stop for dinner with potential thunderstorms. I stopped at the Mokane Bar and Grill and ordered an absolutely humongous burger. I was only able to stomach about half of it, but half was still a lot of food. I headed over to the Mokane Market to buy supplies. This place has gotten some bad reviews, but the guy working that day was incredibly friendly and fun to talk to. He shared a bit about the history of the town and had pictures of some awesome cars he had fixed up. I picked up a gazillion more Payday bars, a bag of hamburger buns (in lieu of more tortillas) and some ace bandages.
The Katy Trail is crested in the middle for drainage, and during the first few days I kept to the right of trail which meant I was running on a slanted surface. By the fourth day I was starting to feel this unevenness manifest itself in a twinge in my right ankle. Running in the dead center of the trail seemed to help. Also, there were so few bikes that it was easy to get out of their way if need be. I wrapped each ankle in an ace bandage for some added stability and was good to go!
Part 3: Seriously Though, DEATH TO ALL MOSQUITOS
Not much interesting during this segment. The mosquitoes were still bad, and I was still making pretty good time against the forecast. I had originally planned to stop in Portland for a dinner, but by the time I got there, I had five miles left to Bluffton and only an hour before Thunderstorms were predicted to start so I decided to roll on through, and just worry about dinner once I got to Bluffton.
Part 4: Distant Thunder is a Really Good Motivator
If you click through the link, you'll see that I averaged 10:05 min/mile for this segment. I knew I would have to run most of it to make it in before the thunderstorms. There were plenty of downed trees as motivation not to get stuck on the trail. In mile 2 I started hearing distant thunder. In mile 3 a gentle rain started, the wind picked up, and the thunder began to feel closer. About 200 yards before Bluffton the skies opened and I sprinted in.
I stayed with Doug at the Bluffton Barn and he was the most gracious host ever. He shared his food with me since I didn't have a chance to eat dinner in Portland and we had a lovely chat over dinner and a glass of wine. The barn itself is also awesome.
Lizzy and I are both big planners so our joking/not-joking motto about this trip and life in general is 'more plans, more fun,' and today it seemed that all of my carefully laid plans might be shattered. Cue panic and anxiety.
I decided to mail my tent back home because I knew I wouldn't be able to make it the rest of the trip with such a heavy pack, but the post office didn't open until 8, so my plans of getting an early start to the day to avoid afternoon thunderstorms were out the window.
I planned to catch a cab from the post office to the trail head, but when I called the cab company there was a 45 minute wait. It would be faster to walk, so I set off. I definitely called both Lizzy and my boyfriend panicking about plans. My boyfriend reassured me that I was capable of making on-the-fly decisions, and Lizzy listened carefully and helped me make about 1,000 contingency plans. Thanks guys.
Part 1: What Cruel God Created Mosquitos?
When I checked the weather in the morning, there were thunderstorms predicted to start at 3pm and last all afternoon and evening. After seeing tons of downed trees from previous storms, I decided I didn't want to be out on the trail during a thunderstorm and risk getting squished like a bug. Unfortunately, there weren't many lodging options along this stretch of trail. I could either finish the planned 32 miles and stay in Bluffton or only finish 12 miles and stay in Tebbetts. Knowing this, I decided to take the section from North Jefferson to Tebbetts in a single shot and then check the weather again and decide whether or not to push on. Luckily, by the time I got to Tebbetts, thunderstorms were predicted to hold off until 6pm. I'd be pushing it, but I thought I could get to Bluffton or at least very close to Bluffton before the storms rolled in.
This leg of the trip was exciting because I met more trail friends! I met a couple from Arizona biking the trail, and a family from Colorado also biking the trail. They had both started a day after Lizzy and I, but their agendas for the remainder of their trips had them doing approximately the same mileage I was doing for the rest of my trip. It was really fun to leapfrog them the rest of the week.
Even though I was next to the river for most of the previous day, mosquitoes weren't a big issue, but with the previous night's thunderstorms and rain there was standing water along either side of the trail. Mosquito heaven. When I was running they wouldn't bother me, but I got eaten alive while I was walking.
Part 2: A Burger as Big as Your Head
I had planned to stop in Mokane to buy some groceries for the rest of the trip, and decided to stop for a big lunch while I was there because I was worried about having time to stop for dinner with potential thunderstorms. I stopped at the Mokane Bar and Grill and ordered an absolutely humongous burger. I was only able to stomach about half of it, but half was still a lot of food. I headed over to the Mokane Market to buy supplies. This place has gotten some bad reviews, but the guy working that day was incredibly friendly and fun to talk to. He shared a bit about the history of the town and had pictures of some awesome cars he had fixed up. I picked up a gazillion more Payday bars, a bag of hamburger buns (in lieu of more tortillas) and some ace bandages.
The Katy Trail is crested in the middle for drainage, and during the first few days I kept to the right of trail which meant I was running on a slanted surface. By the fourth day I was starting to feel this unevenness manifest itself in a twinge in my right ankle. Running in the dead center of the trail seemed to help. Also, there were so few bikes that it was easy to get out of their way if need be. I wrapped each ankle in an ace bandage for some added stability and was good to go!
Part 3: Seriously Though, DEATH TO ALL MOSQUITOS
Not much interesting during this segment. The mosquitoes were still bad, and I was still making pretty good time against the forecast. I had originally planned to stop in Portland for a dinner, but by the time I got there, I had five miles left to Bluffton and only an hour before Thunderstorms were predicted to start so I decided to roll on through, and just worry about dinner once I got to Bluffton.
Part 4: Distant Thunder is a Really Good Motivator
If you click through the link, you'll see that I averaged 10:05 min/mile for this segment. I knew I would have to run most of it to make it in before the thunderstorms. There were plenty of downed trees as motivation not to get stuck on the trail. In mile 2 I started hearing distant thunder. In mile 3 a gentle rain started, the wind picked up, and the thunder began to feel closer. About 200 yards before Bluffton the skies opened and I sprinted in.
I stayed with Doug at the Bluffton Barn and he was the most gracious host ever. He shared his food with me since I didn't have a chance to eat dinner in Portland and we had a lovely chat over dinner and a glass of wine. The barn itself is also awesome.
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