Back in the Groove

Today was awesome. I had a great sleep at the campground and got up at 4:30 and made coffee with two of the young fisherman that were there for a long weekend trip. Their tent flooded during the night so they were up early and trying to get warm. They were so friendly and offered me sugar – another small thing that you take for granted off the trail but I don’t carry with me.

The trail today was 18 miles along the beach and it went by quickly. It was raining most of the day but I kept warm hiking a steady pace and got into the next campsite around 11. This campsite is a private beach resort run by a super friendly woman named Gabi and she has wild horses that stay on the grassy area between her sweet cabins and the beach. I got there early enough to score a bed. About a dozen hikers showed up over the next few hours and we had fun hanging out in the kitchen and planning our next few days. Everyone is talking about the fish and chip place in the next town so we are planning to hit that for sure.

Gabi and I started chatting and discovered our mutual interest in plastic pollution. I had picked up a few bottles I found along the beach and it got the conversation going. She is also a performance artist and showed me her work that involves sitting in a bathtub full of reclaimed plastic called “The World is Drowning in Plastic”. It’s a sad commentary but I’m glad she is out there bringing some attention to the problem. I told her about my work with Trash Hero World and it was nice to know there are so many others out there concerned and active in the cause.

The best part of the day is that I felt like I got back in my hiking groove. I have my gear organized, my food is dialed in and my pack feels right. I had a great night’s sleep and am meeting other hikers now pretty regularly. I had a ton of down time this afternoon so I was able to spend more time with Kingsolver’s “Demon Copperhead” and stretch my legs. Tomorrow is going to be a pretty hard push to get back to Kaitaia and my next food resupply.