Miles Today: 7.6
Mile Marker: 735.7
Today was the first day I've nearoed out of town. I got a late checkout and headed over to Cracker Barrel around noon. The place was absolutely mobbed. I had a hearty meal and then called an Uber to take me the 0.90 miles to the trail head. Poor Carolyn couldn't figure out how to negotiate the construction in the area. It took her 25 minutes to get to me, when the app had a 12 minute Eta. I watched her circle around all over the place. I had to help navigate her to where I was going. I should have just walked there. It certainly would have been faster.
Around 5:30 I laid down on my foam mat to take a break. I sat there staring up into the trees as they swayed in the wind and the sun trickled through. It really was a perfect day. I started to feel regret at wasting the first half of it not hiking. I started to stress about being a week behind schedule. I ran calculations on how many miles I could do tonight, and then I started debating night hiking. But the longer I laid there, the more relaxed I started to feel. I realized it had been a while since I was truly living in the moment. I laid there for an hour just breathing, clearing my mind. Ultimately I decided the best decision was to call it an early day, rest well, and start early in the morning. It felt good to let go for a while.