7/23/16

It is very odd how different people react to strangers in their midst. The overwhelming majority of people on our coast to coast extravaganza were a bit unsure of us at first but, soon, jumped into our zaniness whole-heartedly! We have interacted with a young Spanish Immersion school student, a teen from Denmark, salesclerks, other travelers, business owners, babies, twin girls with their mom, bar patrons, taxi drivers and hotel clerks. In only two cases did the experiences leave me with a sour taste in my heart. There was one pub server with a haughty attitude and a drunken fat youth pawing at us…did he think we would be thankful for his attention? Finally…we got to St. Bee’s and the journey began with a foot-dip in the Irish Sea and a rock to carry to the opposite coast.

7/24/16

I am sitting on a cute, little couch outside of room #5 at the Shepherd’s Arms Hotel in Ennerbury Bridge. Our second day of walking is over and some parts were quite hard! Lots of uphill and getting lost with Case, who is a Dutch guy, and an Australian couple, Judy and Greg. Greg consistently walks half a block ahead of Judy. She says that he does not stop to smell the flowers and he says that she would only walk slower if he did not stay ahead of her. They have been married forever so they must know what they are doing!

 

Observations:

  1. Full English breakfast is defined as eggs, ham-like bacon, sausage, beans, black pudding, mushrooms and tomato….we ate some of it!

  2. We have been walking in drizzle or rain from the very start.

  3. We got lost when Greg confidently told us that the road went straight to the top, Dent, which had supposed views of the surrounding mountains.

  4. We all gathered aroundmy Gaia phone map and found the right path…I let them start ahead of us so we wouldn’t have to do the group hike all day.

  5. My shoes were not waterproof! As it turns out the Mel/Glory style are not waterproof but the brown ones are.

  6. The arms of my rain jacket leaked and I had to use a big garbage bag as a backpack cover since mine was at home in Minnesota.

  7. My rain pants kept slipping down, bringing my shorts with them… Alterations will be made tonight!

  8. If rain is predicted tomorrow I will start out in my waterproof shoes, altered pants and gators…along with my umbrella.

  9. The Gaia was a life-saver and we used it as a security blanket when necessary.

  10. The Shepherd’s  Arms was a beautiful sight at the end of the walk.

Now, with my soggy socks off, I am very happy! And I didn’t get a single blister! Tonight we will relax, maybe, with a drink.