My host saw me off with some wake up juice and another piece of fruit. I don't normally drink coffee, but I'm not going to turn down a hot drink in the morning. He said I "must have a lot of nerve to do a trip like this" before making sure I was oriented properly to make it to Albrittons which was my breakfast stop right on the MST. At only 3 miles away I was barely getting warmed up before I was in a booth with a ham biscuit and hash browns.

I liked how yesterday's walk progressed with more frequent but shorter sit down breaks. I planned to do the same today although I had expected to also do a shorter day too. As luck would have it, I hit the library at LaGrange a little earlier than expected and I left feeling fresh. I must have gone a good 3 miles out of town before I acquired this patch of lawn. So today's miles are an estimation at 19.4.

Early in the day I left what the guidebook calls the Eastern Coastal Plain. I'm now in the Western. My hiking miles plus those covered by ferry put me at around 265 total MST miles out of 934. Progress is being made, and for the first time I noticed crossing a contour line on the map. I don't think I was even above 100 feet but there was a little hill with a church in front of me and a grey contour line on the map.

In other news I've rounded Kinston and turned north. This begins a long arc to the west and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

So these people have two dogs. When looking for a place to stay I can usually be a little choosey because there are plenty of houses. One of the things I avoid are homes with barking dogs outside. This pair was inside the garage so I didn't see them until I was already at the door. They are big and loud and like to bark. They sleep outside and are free to roam the yard. I didn't realize that and the lady who answered never mentioned it. So they've been barking at me almost continuously for two hours. I took a photo with a voice memo so you could share the experience. Barking dogs WAV file (860 kb / 40 sec.)