Day 64: 12 Miles
It was a damp morning this morning, but we got up quickly to start the road walk toward town. We made good time along the flat and easy terrain of the roadside. It was a little after 10:00 when we hit the junction where we could hitch into town.
It can be hard to get a ride on highways, where cars are zooming past at 60 mph, but it wasn’t too long before a guy from Denver pulled over and offered us a ride into Steamboat Springs, where he was headed to visit his girlfriend for the holiday. He dropped us off at the grocery store, where we went inside to resupply. Being a holiday, it was crowded in there and a little overwhelming, but it’s always entertaining to see how the town folks react to us all dirty and smelly. Our plan was to take the free bus down to the laundromat, maybe grab some food and then hitch back to the trail. We met some other hikers in the parking lot and as we chatted with them, we were approached by a local woman named Darcy. She offered everyone a place to stay for the night, as well as showers, laundry, and a ride back to the trail.
Paul and I opted to take her up on everything except staying overnight, as we have some miles to push and wanted to wake up on trail. We all went back to her place, got cleaned up and organized. She even gave me some clothes to wear while laundry was going. When she heard two other hikers were planning on McDonald’s for dinner, she decided that would not do, went to the store and got supplies to grill burgers, salmon, and corn. She also got ice cream and beer, turning our afternoon into a real Forth of July feast!
Spontaneous trail magic is the best kind, and the generosity of strangers never ceases to amaze me. After dinner she gave Paul and I a ride back to the trail, where we walked about 0.1 miles and set up camp for the night. What a great day.