Weekly Blog #13 - Sponge takes a few "lumps" off the trail...
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posted: Saturday, July 26th, 2026
Even the most seasoned hikers can have setbacks off the trails...
For 150 miles of Minnesota's Superior Hiking Trail Sponge took a lot of 'hits.' He fell at least 6 times. Skinned his knee through long pants. Blistered his feet and one poor toe repeatedly. Developed enough mosquito bites to questionably culture a future colony.
Yet a few weeks after his adventure, he was pretty much fine. Which was awesome, as he would have a bonus opportunity to hike portions of the Colorado Trail and Continental divide during a vacation in Breckenridge,
But like all well-laid plans, fate can concur or deal it's own hand. And deal it did.
One foul 'Garage' step
It took only seconds. Sponge was walking up the set of three steps leading from his garage to his back door, when he decided to turn back and grab a forgotten item from his vehicle. Easy peezy....if he didn't completely miss the final step. But he did, and immediately collapsed sideways - his left ankle crumpling awkwardly and his left elbow taking the rest of the impact.
It seems incredible that one bad step in his own house could do more damage than ANY of the thousands of poor steps he took on the AT or SHT, but it became very clear (-(very quickly) that was exactly the outcome. His ankle swelled up like a grapefruit and purple bruising developed on the side. Then on four of his toes. Convinced there was no break given the foot's range of motion, Sponge iced it down and wore an elastic wrap for a few days to protect it against further damage.
Double the 'Pain'
If Sponge had been on the trail, this injury would have been an immediate game over. But he had a weekend to recover and then maybe a good week before he could attempt a mountain trail in Colorado. He loaded up his pack, hopeful it could still be used. But one item he had hoped to bring was not available. Enter Lump #2.
As mentioned in a prior Blog, Sponge lamented not having a Garmin In-Reach 2 Mini for safety reasons. Having a little money left-over from his SHT trip, he decided to buy one in time for Colorado (and all future trails to come). Always a 'bargain' shopper, he decided to get a refurbished unit off EBay with a 2-year warranty. But then, just as he was prepared to buy, he saw a seller with a BRAND-NEW unit for $30 less. He paid with gift cards (to earn fuel points at his local grocery store) and awaited his new GPS best-friend.
But it never came. The seller never sent a tracking number or responded to any of Sponge's emails. Then, out of the blue, a message saying the item had been delivered. UPS tracking showed it was delivered to Sponge's city - yet he had no picture of the delivery and it was definitely not on his doorstop. A call to UPS confirmed his worst fear - he was not the recipient of the tracking number and his address was not the delivered to destination. The seller had likely sent a smaller item to an address in his zip code, provided that tracking number and taken his money.
No worries, Sponge thought, EBay has pretty strong buyer-protection policies. Sponge contested transaction directly with EBay, who said they would make a decision in one week. While he would be in Colorado by that time, at least Sponge could take comfort in knowing he could be refunded and buy the Garmin for a future trek.
But Lump #2 wasn't done dealing: Ebay sided with the seller - saying they had provided proof of delivery.
Sponge can make one last appeal, but it's pretty clear there are a few lessons for ALL hikers (Sponge included) to learn here:
1) ONLY deal with reputable sellers (Sponge will stick to big-box retailers, major outfitters or trusted cottage gear sites going forward).
2) use a credit card for big buys, so you have a secondary way to contest shady transactions
3) do not risk hundreds of dollars to save 30 bucks
4) Avoid Ebay.
Will the lumps be too much to take?
At the time of this blog, Sponge's time in Colorado is coming close to ending. He has a small window to do an overnight trek that would take him through a mountain pass. He may be able to pull it off - but these two lumps certainly will make it difficult.
But mistakes (and injuries) do make us stronger. Sponge is just stubborn enough to see if he can still make it happen. If he does, you can bet next week's blog will detail that adventure!