TRAIL DAY 75
Thu, May 5, 2016 This was a zero day waiting for boots. Somewhere on the trail I had stopped to call Merrell about the serious issue with my toes. I had sat on a boulder off to the right of the trail in a generally flat area. A hiker passed as I was working my way through the conversation.
Merrell was terrific! Their goal, at no cost to me, was to see me satisfied. I would learn as I faced other replacement issues on the trail that companies tend to give extra special care to thru-hikers. They are their bread and butter but also they know that these hikers are on a mission and don’t have time to sit around and wait. They need to keep moving and outfitters know that.
Merrell was ready to do anything they could to make things better. Because my toes were badly pinched and painful with every step the rep I talked with suggested a wider toe box. Moabs. They would send a brand new pair to Woods Hole Hostel for me. If satisfied with the new boots, I should cut the tongue out of the offending boots and send the tongues to the company to prove I wasn’t just scheming for a 2nd pair of boots.
I hung around for a 2nd day at Woods Hole – not a bad place to do some waiting. Since I had helped with the supper the night before, I left that task to others, took lots of photographs, sat by the wood-stove with Courageous, Sacket, “Not a bear” and others.
Not a bear got her name when someone heard her rustling in the leaves and was afraid. She emerged from the brush and assured the hiker, “I’m not-a-bear.”
Ziplock and Falcon were also there having hiked from south. Ziplock told of running into some quail just north of the hostel and a mother coming after her and pecking her “in the butt.” I wondered if I would run into the same problem when I returned to my northbound hike.
The five guys from Trent’s and Dismal Falls had been at Woods Hole the first night. When we said grace that night, we all said where we were from. All of them were from New Jersey.
Sacket, Highway, Ziplock, Falcon, Not a Bear, Courageous and others were there. “Highlander” was new to me. He was from the north country somewhere and didn’t hesitate to tell you his rather fixed opinions about things. For example, it made no sense to have a knife with a blade partially serrated edge because the serrated part was useless.
Now, I suppose, if this is really important to you, you want to make the point loud and clear as I did about garbage bags and strings on tent stakes. But that, to me, seemed a matter of preference with good reasons for each choice.
I waited all day – no boots.
Day #75 Woods Hole Hostel 0 miles