Top 10 things I dislike about the walk

10. Stealth camping. I've gotten used to it, but still don't like it. If I can find a spot early enough it's great. But usually there's only about an hour before dark nowadays that I have to find a place and it's just plain stressful.
9. Dirty laundry. Just walking 15 miles in the heat on one day covers you in sweat. But then compile that with several days, well, it just gets odorous. I use baby wipes every night to bathe, and my clothes are synthetic mostly so that helps,  but the clothes absorb the sweat and salt from my skin,  and theres no good option until I hit a laundromat.
8. Alone in a void. There are some days, I don't talk with anyone, and no one stops, and it's like my whole existence is to walk alone. That's why when I do see people, and they're nice, it fills me with energy.
7. Fences. It's pretty frustrating to find a great spot, just to find a hidden barbwire fence. I could cross them I suppose, but Texans take it personal when you do that. It makes it so that I have to plan my end of day better, usually so I'm near a town, where it's more likely to have unfenced areas.
6. Diseil engines. Just about every truck has one and the are insanely loud. Under a bridge,  you hear it barreling down on you miles away, and when the pass you on the roadway there's this thunderous basso. Mostly I've gotten used to it, but it still catches me off guard.
5. Grind days. These are days where, either I've been in a long stretch of nothing or I'm hurrying towards a safe haven. When I was in the Navy in boot camp, we had a large area of asphalt called the grinder, where we spent most of the day excercising. It was pretty miserable, and pushing myself to make the miles has that same feel.
4. The heat. It's getting into the 90's here and soon will reach the 100s. Similar to the crazy humidity,  the dry oppressive heat is just as daunting.  It's like a weight pushing you down. But unlike the south, sitting on the shoulder is worse. You could seriously fry an egg there. So it's walk more with less sit down rest stops.
3. Roadkill. Every mile there has been some kind of roadkill. Squirrels,  chipmunks, skunks, deer, a bear, dogs, falcons, cats, turtles,  armadillos,  birds, possum, snakes, mice, you name it. And though I've gotten used to seeing it; the odor carries and can turn a beautiful morning into something nauseating.
2. Dark days. Especially when I'm out on a stretch, one thing that keeps me sane is being connected via Facebook or even just text messaging. So when it's cloudy and rainy, my solar charger does nothing and I feel alone in the wild with a low or dead battery.
1. Snakes. I'm fairly ambivalent about snakes, and had them as a kid. But the poisonous kind fill me with apprehension. So far my goal has been to stay away from water sources thus avoiding water moccasins,  but now rattlesnakes are common on my upcoming route, and I'm just not happy about it. It means being even more wary on the side of the road.