Date: 2012-06-16
From: Double Spring Shelter

To: campsite outside of Damascus
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: broken clouds

7:15 amI slept poorly last night, couldn't get my knees comfortable and I kept slipping to the end of my tent. Man, I hurt at the end of the day, hobbling around like I am 90 years old. Once I get moving in the morning, I get better, but I have never been this sore before. I think remembering to pace myself is key and not compensating one body part for another when it starts hurting. Walking with good posture is the best thing I can do when something starts to flare up. I realize now I do not have to use my poles all of the time. Sometimes just carrying them beside me offers a bit more stability and I walk more upright. I dreamed about work and Ed and Mom last night. I had to use the tree twice. There is nothing worse than leaving a warm sleeping bag in the dead of night to have to attend to body business. Then, my biggest worry is to not splash on my flip flops because then it will end up in my sleeping bag. This is one of the reasons hikers smell, or at least one of the reasons this hiker smells. I do not know what a man's excuse is. Seems to me they can control this aspect much better. I should have stuck with my old sleep pad. It is much better than the new one. 12:07 pmI think I am at the Gap campsite. it is about 70 degrees and very pretty out. My right side hurts. It is interesting that any perception of pain is so much different than during my '07 hike. i thought they had fixed me with the first surgery in April of that year. Now i know that I am broken inside. Four surgeries later, I know that it is not going to go away. I have foot pain for the first time. Not just blister pain, but foot pain. i am regretting trusting the brand of shoe without trying others. Something is different with this pair. The back of my right ankle is intensely painful. I have not ever had this pain before. This trail section is just right for my ability. Good training for what comes after Damascus. 1:56 pm near Abington Gap ShelterI was so excited to be coming to one of the oldest shelters on the AT at McQueen's Knob. i had visions of eating lunch and writing in my journal as I contemplated what people felt in 1936 when this shelter was built. When the song Thriller came on my ipod as I approached the area, I thought it was funny. As the haunted feeling took over during the song, I was thankful for Michael Jackson keeping me company. As I walked up to the structure it appeared to be moving and then I noticed it was really huge black ants all over the logs. I put my bag down so that I could look around and went beside the building. I noticed not one or two, but three kinds of bees flying around the plants nearby. I picked up my bag (several bees were flying around it) and got out of there. The whole place had a bad feeling around it. It was a very strange place. i will have to research Holston Mountain to see what happened there. I am making good time. I think I will push on to outside Damascus, maybe sooner if some place with water presents itself. Spirit is telling me to be wary of the log. Don't know what that means, but my intuition is trying to tell me something. it could have been the McQueen's Knob Shelter!8:53pmDamn, I am sore! My calves feel as though they are on fire. I ate a bowl of mashed taters, adding a packet of broth and my spice mix. it was really good. I also added some rice noodles to make it thicker because i thought I added too much water, and it was good enough to do again. There was a fabulous red sunset behind the trees. I am really proud of how far I have come. I am really happy with myself, but much too sore and tired to do my happy dance, for sure. Life out here is real! So many times is the small things, a perfect seat when you need a break, a rocky bottom to the spring so that the water filter doesn't struggle with silt, even, rock free ground for the tent, a good position that keeps the back pack straps from hurting. What to eat next, where to stop. Trail walking, I have realized is very selfish. Everything about it has to do with me and my comfort. Knowing the right angle to pee standing up so I won't splatter my boots was my biggest accomplishment today. If only the rest of life were so simple. I hurt because I have worked my body very hard, not because of some mystery illness. The difference is immeasurable.