It has only been a week here in Black Mountain, North Carolina and it feels like it has been weeks. Which seems to be a common occurrence on the race. This week has been all over the place. Waking up early to do manual labor from 9-4 has been hard but rewarding all in the same. My team and I have painted, shoveled rocks, organized and reworked a storage area, been at a construction site and a boys and girls camp. We have worked with some amazing people and have got to love on the community of Black Mountain.

We started out in tents but then upgraded to sleeping in a room, basically on top of each other. So we have had to adjust to being close with one another all the time. The last couple of days have been good but so rough all together. I have been having a lot of trouble going to sleep and staying asleep. With such full days that can be really hard with no sleep. So then i end up waking up in a bad mood, which is never a way to start the day. But being in community, living on top of each other means learning to help others through those bad days. To acknowledge our sadness, anger, happiness or fear. To lean on others to support you and care for you. Closeness is something we are going to all have to accept through the next 8 months of this journey. Something that will be hard but also so good.

Here are so photos from this last week: