Harold Williams Cooney

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025. North of m69.1, the Layton Trail. Near trail split, about halfway between road and the water. Dank, jungle like, slab rock covered in leaves and dirt. 24.823406,-80.817892

I wake naturally at 6 am to the sound of trucks barreling up the A1A. By 625am, I’m sitting in front of the Quick Stop. It’s not open, although it should be.

I did get a little sleep. The temperature seemed to drop a little, and I wasn’t wetted with sweat like I was previous nights. I can feel the tight burn of skin on my neck, sunburn.

I’m in a pinch for water. This store is late opening. There is a restaurant across the street that opens in an hour, 730am. But other than that, it’s a long way to water. I basically have to stay here and wait for the best to happen.

Sitting out front of the convenience store, I’m getting absolutely destroyed by no-see-ums. It sucks.

A woman does come to open up at 7am. She turns out to be an amazing woman, an immigrant from Bangladesh with a daughter, three years old. I get starbucks from a little robot machine. I tried to get tap water, but she said it’s dangerous to drink. She gives me one liter of bottled water.

She asked me about my relationship with god, and I told her that I was very encouraged by her presence in the world. We have a brief conversation, absolutely lovely. I love immigrants. Long live multiculturalism in America.

I am able to shit. Walking north ay 730am.

I am able to pick up a liter of water at the Monroe County Fire Rescue by a dude washing Ladder 1. It’s a bit of a uncomfortable situation. He leads me into the inner sanctum of the fire station, and I use their water machine to fill up my bottles. I spill a bunch on the floor, and it has to be cleaned up.

I walk with a wonderfully friendly couple along the bike path for a couple of miles. Can we talk about all sorts of things. Life in America. Technology. Cuba.

When we reach the spot where they are turning around, the guy asks me if I have a YouTube channel, and I say no, but I have a blog. He looks really deflated and says, “Oh well, I’m not really in the blogs. Thank you anyway.” Lol, sounds about right.

I was able to use the bathroom to shit and use my shirt to bathe a little bit in the sink at Annie’s Beach.

The roast is on! It’s hot. I ask a group of dudes smoking blunts out back of Robbie’s of Islamorada for water, and they hook me up. Thank you!

I get a burrito bowl at Bad Boy Burrito, skirt steak with salsa Verde, very good but I eat the whole thing in about one minute. I could easily eat three or four of them. And, it cost a lot of money.

Less than two miles down the road, I walk into a Publix for a pubsub and kombucha. It was easier on the wallet, but there was no place to sit. I take two shits in their bathroom.

And a mile or so after that, lol, into Starbucks for coffee. I take a shit in their bathroom – what the fuck?

It’s easy to see I am no survivor man. I like food. And air conditioning. And fresh coffee. And taking shits, apparently. Writing it out here is embarrassing. I’m so lucky, so privileged! Food! Coffee! Other people’s bathrooms!

Studying the map makes it look like getting camping on the south end of Key Largo will be difficult. I take advantage of that assertion to get a hotel. More privilege! 90 after taxes and fees, ending me at about 30 miles for the day. Stoked. And that’s not just the coffee talking.

It’s a long afternoon. The sun goes down. The bike path stays around, but it’s a lot of cars, and it’s not interesting.

I made my reservation online. But the hotel called me to confirm my check-in time. I told the woman from the front desk that I would arrive at 930pm, that’s a half hour before they close up for the night, and the lady was directly not pleased. Hurry up, she said. Lol. Fuck. Okay.

I managed to make it by 830pm.

On my way into the hotel, I stopped at Pinecrest Bakery – Key Largo for a Cuban sandwich. Ate half walking the two blocks to the hotel, the second half in the room. I showered and walked back for a mini Key Lime pie and a fruit tart. Fantastic. So happy with the universe.

I try to stretch out in the comfort of the AC but all I want is sleep.

Mileage:

Started at the Layton Trail, m69.1, and, using the Startbucks marker on FarOut, the hotel is on m100.5, so that’s 31.4 miles for the day. I’m very tired. And I think I took 7 shits today.