Te Araroa day 94 – The power of rest
March 6th 2017
0 miles
Total distance: 1366.4 miles
After feeling incredibly tired I couldn't sleep. I saw 1am roll around and in that time I spent a while looking at the next section and planning for that, chatting to some of my great friends from home and staring into the dark. A couple of other people came into my room late and they were creeping about trying not to wake me which was nice. Another problem I had was my legs, I had some grazes on my inner calfs and if the sheet touched them they stung terribly. I was also so dehydrated and eventually I had to get out of bed and go and get water from the kitchen because it was stopping me sleeping.
In the morning the other people left really early and I was on my own once more. I didn't know what to do today so I staying in bed until 9am until I got a text from Sandy to say they were in the Cafe. I went to the bathroom and used some toilet paper to try to gently wash the dirt off my legs where the sore bits were but came to realise it wasn't dirt it was my skin. I showed it to Sandy and she said she got something similar and it must be from a plant in the forest. Colin gave me some antibiotic cream which really helped. I got a hot chocolate at the cafe.
I was tired and sore and still a bit down in the dumps so I decided to stay at the hostel for a bit. They were really nice and said I could use all the facilities and hang out for the day. I organised my resupply box, dumped the couscous and settled on the fact I would have to eat tuna for the next three days. I cooked the noodles I had been carrying for the last 4 days, not wanting to eat them cold, and because I was so hungry they actually tasted really good. I caught up on stuff on my phone and then took a nap in the lounge. I was starting to feel better.
The weather was getting colder and colder and going back to the trail was looking less and less appealing. Colin and Sandy booked a room for the night and there was an extra bed in it so they said I could stay which was nice of them. I would have to talk to the owners of the hostel of course but maybe the bed would be a reduced rate.
I went over to the cafe and didn't buy anything but just ended up wondering about and someone called my name, it was Colin and Sian, so I sat and chatted with them for ages and downloaded all my woes onto them. By now it was a bit drizzly and cold and getting late so I decided to stay another night. I went to talk to the woman at the hostel and explained that my friends had an extra bed in their room and were happy for me to stay in it but she said I couldn't. The room was meant for two people and there was a double bed and a single and it was their choice if they decided to share it. So there was a bed available and she wouldn't let me have it. I got annoyed and told her she was being hostile and we got into a bit of a clash. It ended in a very frosty exchange and me booking into a 4 bed dorm for the night.
I went and put my stuff in the room and thought about what just happened and went back to apologise to the lady. I said sorry for being rude and it was my fault because I had a bad day and I shouldn't have taken it out on her. I cried. She gave me a big hug and made me sit down and tell her all about it. She had been so nice to me and let me stay there for the day and I had been a douchebag, but I worked everything out. I went to the kitchen and made some more noodles which were pretty gross as I wasn't quite as hungry. The lady from the hostel came and sat with me and she put an internet card in front of me that you usually have to pay for. She said 'I thought it would be nice for you to be able to Skype with home'. That was so nice of her!
I finally took a shower and I was so pleased I did, I felt so much better. Earlier I couldn't bear the thought of the water on my stinging legs, but the cream Colin gave me really helped and the hot water felt amazing.
I spent most of the evening working on the blog and I sat with John from Alaska who had skipped the Deception river track and was beating himself up about it. It was nice to listen to someone else's problems for a while. I'm pleased I took the day off today. I needed to just chill out and relax a bit. My phone tells me I walked 0.3 miles today! Perfect.
Everyone has been super kind and supportive today and I've had messages and donations from intuitive people and I've realised I have a great bunch of people supporting me, which feels nice.