This is a fast day. We follow an old railway line for 6 miles down to a road where the Baptist Trail Angels are waiting to drive hikers to a free breakfast offered about 2 miles away in a little village church. Digby and I are not sure about accepting the lift - we can do without the breakfast and we are not keen about being away from the trail and at the mercy of somebody else, waiting for them to take us back to the trail. We reach the road and the car is waiting for us. We say 'no thanks' and they press us to accept. Worn Heel arrives and says ' Get your priorities right - you are on holiday - this is not a job.' So we get in the car and are taken to a little church in a tiny village, and fed a huge meal. About 6 women are cooking and serving - the men are doing the hiker car shuffles back and forwards to the trail.
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| Feeling dog deprived |
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| Trail angels from Arkansas |
We stuff ourselves with great food, and then head back to the trail.
There is a shortage of water along the trail - we need to start planning our water use so we don't run out. People are leaving plastic bottles of water on the trail for hikers. We cross over a highway on an overpass.
There is a steep climb to the next ridge and we notice that to reach the campsite you have to drop 500' and then climb back up again tomorrow. We decide not to do that and carry extra water up the steep climb so we can go beyond the shelter and camp somewhere on the ridge. It nearly kills us carrying the water, but the view and the sunset make it worthwhile.
We have a clear view and our mobile phone works so I call Mum and Dad. It is weird sitting on a high ridge on the AT talking to Melbourne, completely removed from the routines of daily life in Australia.
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