At the speed Andrea and I were walking, it took us about 45 minutes to reach a road near the lake where we could walk down to the malt shop. At the road, Andrea met a friend, so I continued on to catch up with Tengo and the other hikers at Oak Shores Malt Shop
It may have been called a malt shop, but in reality it was part general store, part liquor store and part diner.
As I approached the shop, Luis shouted at me, booming out a loud “Woo hoo!” He had been fairly quiet when I was with him at Scout and Frodo’s house, so I was a little startled by this enthusiasm.
I wasn’t the only person he “woo-hoo’d” at. He seemed to do that to every hiker arriving at the malt shop.
After greeting the hikers sitting outside, I went inside to buy a burger, fries and a shake. I then met a hiker named Jason. He told me that the malt shop owner had helped him by fixing his broken belt. The owner found a small piece of wire and twisted it to repair the belt.
Jason decided that Steel Belted would be a fitting trail name.