Day 75-76 - Halfway

On Tuesday I hit the halfway point of the trail!  I had been hiking farther than normal most days, thinking if I kept up a strong pace I could probably finish the trail prior to Rachel's wedding.  But on Tuesday I decided I'd rather not keep that pace of 25 miles every day without factoring in any shorter days or days off.  Some people can do it but I enjoy things other than hiking too much to spend all day at it.

However, I didn't end up reaching the halfway point until after 10 pm.  There was a small post and a box with a log book in it.  I signed the book and took some pictures with my camera but not with my phone. I think it was somewhere off the right side of this picture though.

Hitting the halfway point was only part of the reason for hiking so late. I also wanted to get into the town of Chester the next morning. I reached the highway into town around 9:00. There was a note at the trailhead left by a trail angel who offers rides in and out of town and also maintains a couple coolers with sodas and fruit. I called her phone and she said she was already on the way out there to restock the coolers.

Piper's Mom, as she is known, gave me a ride to a motel where I got a room and a quick shower. It was July 4th, but I still didn't expect a little town of a couple thousand people to have a parade. It was quite a bit deal for the little town though. There were a few thousand people lining the main street for it. I got some lunch and a milkshake at a little restaurant and watched the parade from the patio area.

After the parade I stocked up at the grocery store. I've started packing each days' food into a bag to make it easier to tell what I've got left.

The town had a fireworks show that night but it was out of town over a lake, so I didn't go out to see it. Instead I stayed in my room and watched Earth get saved from an alien invasion in Independence Day.