We had run out of food that morning. All that was left were some very crushed up Belvita breakfast cookies. We were drinking these crumbs as we tried to push our way to town. Just around lunchtime we pass another thru-hiker, heading southbound, who told us that some lady is handing out cookies up ahead. Naturally we were interested.
When we get there we find not just cookies, but also delicious, homemade lemonade as well. The ‘Cookie Lady’ as she introduced herself to us, manages a pick your own blueberry farm. I guess people come and pay her for them to pick blueberries. She offered us a huge plate of food if we picked some. So this was how we got ourselves fed that day. Pasta salad, veggies, cookies, lemonade and blueberries… not that bad of a diet for a thru-hiker.
After lunch on Blueberry Hill, Bell and I hiked another ten miles into town with a friend of ours named Looseleaf. It was a beautiful ridge that seemed to just abruptly end in some random town. We just kind of turned out of the woods into somebody’s backyard, which can feel a bit awkward at times. But then sometimes that person says that you can camp in their backyard, like trail angel Tom from Massachusetts. So we set up our tent in this guys backyard and got to know all the other hikers camping there. One had been staying there for three weeks. Another taught me how to pick up an alligator. Another was from Europe. It was an eclectic mix of individuals.
When we got hungry we walked across the street and grabbed some sandwiches from a local sub shop. Later on that evening, I discovered that something had gone awry with my stomach and that it was a good thing we were in a town where I could access indoor plumbing. The bad news was that Tom didn’t let hikers use the bathroom in his house (a decision I will not blame him for) and would have to be jogging the half a mile to and from the gas station for relief. After the fourth time I bought some overpriced immodium and called it a night.
From the other side,
Pan & Bell
from the other side 