I awoke to a light rain but had covered my shoes with my solar panel and wrapped my pack in my emergency blanket before going to bed, as was my custom. My SOL breathable yet water-resistant bivy inside the waterproof emergency bivy had worked well to keep me dry. I had slept nearly ten hours! I wrote in my notes that I was upset I had overslept. I kept my pants, long sleeved shirt, and jacket on and put the train poncho on over myself and my backpack. I ate some trail mix and looked for the trail. Luckily, in the daylight with a little work I was able to find it and got moving.
Unfortunately, it didn't take long for my pants and shoes to get wet. The rain had collected on the plants that grew over the trail and as I walked through them I absorbed their water. I had to revert to my shorts to prevent my pants from becoming completely soaked. There was nothing that could be done about my shoes and socks at the moment, however, and so I walked on, hoping the moisture wouldn't be too hard on the pinky-toe blister that had been bothering me off and on.
The trail meandered through the park, often along the bluffs. I saw a few men out exploring in the rain. In the last segment in Salt Point I got disoriented. The trail had split and I found myself on the side of a hill navigating through what looked like animal trails. I figured if I could get to the top I would have a better view of where to go. I consulted Google Maps and used my phone's GPS to see which way I was pointing. After some trial and error I spotted a fence that appeared to be cordoning off an unsafe area. I followed the fence inland and eventually came to a trail leading back to the highway, the path the CCT was supposed to take.
Almost on cue, as the highway came into view the sun began to come out. By the time I had gone half a mile on the road the sun was shining bright and I changed my socks, hanging my wet ones on the back of my pack with a safety pin. I also did a barefoot stint to give my feet an hour or so to be completely dry. I ran seven or so miles more and arrived at the 122 year old oasis, Stewart's Point Store. It almost exclusively sold food and beverages, but that was all I needed. I ordered a vegan calzone, and two diet cokes. The calzone was homemade and delicious. Unfortunately there was no wifi, and the woman behind the counter said there were no outlets either, although just before I left I spotted one, maybe it didn't work. As I was looking at my phone, planning out the next leg, a man who looked like another construction worker approached me and said that he had seen me running the last few days. I told him what I was up to and we exchanged contact information, he was excited for me but said that I wouldn't seem him again as I would be leaving his area that day. Before leaving the store I changed my socks one more time, the second pair had gotten drenched too.
The next segment passed through the small community of Sea Ranch. The maps said to stay on the highway, that there was no public access for the beach until a trail near Gualala. I listened to the book Psycho-Cybernetics to help the highway miles go faster. The author, Maxwell Maltz, compared life to riding a bicycle, it only works if you keep moving forward. We all need to be striving toward some goal. This resonated with me. I had been waiting for my job to start for so long, and now finally I had a concrete goal: Oregon. I listened to my music for a little while, I had a list of about 1,200 running songs downloaded on my phone. Whitney Houston's "Step by Step" came on and I almost cried.
A car stopped to ask if I needed a ride into town, I explained what I was doing -- now wondering if maybe I shouldn't be telling the whole world, what if someone followed me? The driver told me he thought I could safely camp under an awning in the tiny town of Anchor Bay a few miles north of Gualala. He said I had better hurry if I wanted to make it to town before the stores all closed, he recommended taking the highway. I told him that wasn't possible, I had to follow the trail. I did pick up my pace though.
Finally the route turned inland, another bluff trail with majestic views of the surf crashing on the rocks. Starting down the trail I was proud of myself for staying ahead of a runner who started the trail just behind me. I paused to explain what I was doing when a couple walking said hello. It turned out the woman's daughter lives in Riverside, CA too! Perhaps one day I'll meet her. The runner behind me caught up and passed me, and I knew it I should get going. Running on, I made it to the visitor center, where there was a sign proclaiming free internet. I hesitated as I thought about stopping there instead of the internet cafe in town, but decided to try my luck at getting in before the stores closed. I wanted to stop at the supermarket and buy produce.
A few miles later, after cutting back to the highway and crossing a never-ending bridge into town, I arrived at the supermarket. I had an hour to spare! I grabbed a collection of produce and as I checked out asked the woman bagging my groceries if there was a cheap hotel in town. She said my best bet would be the Breakers Inn next door. I hadn't made much progress for the day but I was somehow tired and worried about the man who had stopped following me. I walked to the Inn the grocer recommended, which happened to be just one building down. There was a $99 special that night, but they said I could sit in the dining area and charge my phone for free. I ate my dinner and talked with one of the girls from the front desk who had a friend doing a cross country journey. She gave me silverware and told me to help myself to anything I needed.
After a while, a man came down to get his computer, which had been sitting at an empty table since I had arrived an hour prior. We talked about my journey and I asked him if he knew where I might be able to find a light weight puffy jacket like the one he was sporting. He said, "you know, my wife just divorced me, and this is her coat, I think you should have it." Unfortunately I realized later it would be too heavy to carry so left it at the hotel for him.
I packed up and was getting ready to leave, talking with the girls at the front desk about the campground down the road. They said I should take a bag of free pastries for my journey so I walked back with them to get the confections. On our way the owner came out of his room and the girls explained what was going on. He said, "give her the room for $40, you should stay the night and get some rest, it's already late." $40 was hard to beat, I was on board... we got to the cash register and the owner said, "wait, tell me again what it is you're doing?" I explained in more detail than the girls had and he said, "you know what, put her in the English room, you can stay free." Free?!!! It was done, I could get up early and start in the morning. My room turned out to be a suite with an English theme, complete with fireplace, deck overlooking the ocean, and whirlpool hot tub. I was too tired to make much use of anything except the deck, where I hung my clothes out over chairs after washing them in the sink. Grateful for another shower and a luxurious bed I slept well.
Lyrics to Whitney Houston's "Step by Step:"
Well there's a bridge and there's a river that I still must cross
As I'm going on my journey
Oh, I might be lost
And there's a road I have to follow, a place I have to go
Well no-one told me just how to get there
But when I get there I'll know
Cause I'm taking it
Step By Step, Bit by Bit,
Stone By Stone (Yeah), Brick by Brick (Oh, yeah)
Step By Step, Day By Day, Mile by mile (ooh, ooh, ooh)
And this old road is rough and ruined
So many dangers along the way
So many burdens might fall upon me
So many troubles that I have to face
Oh, but I won't let my spirit fail me
Oh, I won't let my spirit go
Until I get to my destination
I'm gonna take it slowly cause I'm making it mine
Step By Step (you know I'm taking it), bit by bit (bit by bit, come move),
Stone by stone (yeah), brick by brick (brick by brick by brick by brick mm)
Step by step (step by step uh-huh), day by day (day by day-ee),
Mile by mile (ooh), go your own way.
Say it, baby, don't give up
You got to hold on to what you got,
Oh, baby, don't give up,
You got to keep on moving on don't stop (yeah yeah).
I know you're hurting, and I know you're blue,
I know you're hurting but don't let the bad things get to you.
I'm taking it step by step (oh oh oh), bit by bit (bit by bit come move),
Stone by stone (stone by stone yeah), brick by brick (brick by brick by brick by brick),
Step by step (i'm gonna take it now), day by day (day by day),
Mile by mile (ooh), go your own way!
I'm taking it step by step), bit by bit,
Stone by stone (yeah, stone by stone), brick by brick
C'mon baby,
Step by step keep on moving, day by day (day by day-ee),
Mile by mile by mile by mile, go your own way,
C'mon baby got to keep moving, bit by bit (bit by bit, bit by bit)....
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