Date: 2015-04-30
From: Kincora Hiker Hostel

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Today started out fabulously. I got up first at Kincora and dragged my stuff downstairs to pack.I took advantage of the stove, using it to cook my lunch early. When I bought my supplies and planned my meal drops, I bought a few "treat" meals, which are a littlr fancier and were more expensive. One of these was a Suddenly Salad with quinoa, rice, almonds, and dried cranberries. I bought a multipack at BJs. It is a boil-in-a-bag meal, and takes 17 minutes to cook.17 minutes is FOREVER in trail cooking time. Most people eat hot meals of the instant variety: oatmeal, ramen, mashed potatoes, and fancy freeze-dried Mountain House entrees. Also common are pasta dishes that only have to boil for 8-10 minutes. It saves on fuel to cook fast.So I boiled my bag of grains there to save myself from using up my fuel supply, turning on the stove as soon as I got up. While it cooked, I packed up, washed my face, braided my hair, and scrubbed 4 weeks worth of grime from my cook set. I poured the seasoning packet, nuts and berries in, stirred it all up, put it in a ziplock bag, and realized I had nowhere to put it. My pack was already packed. I love Bertha, but I am forever wishing that she had more pockets.So I stuck my lunch in one of the 10s, hanging off the back of my pack. I squished it in there a bit to make sure it was secure. And let me tell you, it was a DELICIOUS lunch.As I am on the topic of food... I am so sick of being hungry. I am also sick of being disgustingly full. I gorge myself in town, excited to be able to eat REAL FOOD. I do love trail food. I LOVE CLIF bars, chocolate, and Nature Valley makes really good chewy cherry dark chocolate granola bars (better than the Kashi ones, in my opinion). I love peanut butter. But I get really excited about pizza and always end up eating too much.This is becoming a problem. I am so bad at reading my body's signals. I eat way too much. Every time I am tired, I eat. But I need rest, not food. So then I end up with an aching tummy and fat, chafing thighs.Now on to the topic of chafing. My new shorts are MIRACULOUS. They have an underlayer of spandex. No thigh rub! No crotch chafing! Thank you, Target clearance bin!The first stretch of trail today was gorgeous. Laurel Falls were beautiful, and the trail follows a narrow rock outcropping right next to a river. I loved it. Frozen Mac blew past me early. She is super fast.Then there was a neverending uphill. Seriously, miles of uphill. MILES. I thought it would never end. But it did, and then I was flying downhill, past Hammer and Slingshot, who were slackpacking southbound. "You're going the wrong way!" I said as I passed them. "We just passed Fig and he said the same thing!" they replied.I got confused at a road crossing and had to stop to check my guidebook. A car pulled over and the driver yelled out the window, asking if I was heading into Hampton. I approached and answered that I was trying to follow the AT. As I got closer, I got a better look at the driver, who was, I kid you not, a man dressed as a woman. Wig, sunglasses, red lipstick, face caked with foundation, lacy black flamboyant clothing, the works. I am dead serious. This REALLY happened.She (he?!) kindly pointed out that the trail continued down a nearby side road, and then drove off. I looked at my map, realized she was wrong, then turned around back the way I had come from and eventually found myself back on the trail.Watauga Lake was beautiful. An overgrown stretch of trail reminded me of one of the bike paths outside of Seoul. I biked from my apartment to Jim's once. The farther I got from Seoul, the path got narrower and the weeds bigger. The trail was like that.The lake itself kind of reminded me of Stillwater Pond, where I like to kayak. I miss kayaking.The dam was AWESOME. An amazing view, and the sun was out, and it was beautiful. I passed a hiker who told me, "You have a good day, young lady." And as I looked out over the lake, I told him cheerily, "I will! It's amazing!"Then I started uphill on the dam road, and then the trouble started. I got hot and sweaty as I climbed. The rash on my hands started to get hot, too. I think it must be poison ivy. Maybe the wrist straps of my trekking poles rubbed up against some at some point. I drop them and lean them against trees all the time when I drop my pack or stop to pee.Deciding to be proactive, I took a Benadryl. Then I took out the little bottle I filled with calamine lotion at Kincora, dabbing it on the itchy parts.This was a HORRIBLE IDEA. That stuff stung like acid! I thought calamine lotion was supposed to be soothing, but this stuff made my hands burn even worse. It felt like they were on fire. All I could think about was getting the hellfire OFF. I checked my water supply. Less than a liter. I checkded my guidebook. The next water source was 3 miles north. And they were UPHILL miles. It was warm and sunny. I would need that water for drinking.It was really incredibly painful. Like, REALLY painful. I totally cried as I started up that hill. I totally admit it. I have always been a crybaby anyway. I was MISERABLE. THREE GODDAMN MILES UNTIL I COULD WASH THE PINK GOO OF HELL AWAY.At first I crawled, slow and miserable and feeling very stupid. I forgot to look for Benadryl cream last night because I was distracted by pizza. I cursed my stupidity. My hands were gooey, two ruptured blisters oozing grossly while others swelled into life next to them. I started to believe that I was going to die of poison ivy. Certainly if it hurt THIS badly, I was in serious need of real medicine. I started thinking, if I past the next shelter to the NEXT one, maybe I can make it to Damascus faster and get real medicine.Then I heard the thunder. The breeze picked up and the temperature dropped. Motivation struck. I booked it onwards, towards the spring, towards shelter.Then the rain started. I threw Bertha to the side of the trail, ripped my pack cover, and thrust it over her. My trekking poles pierced a nice hole in one side. I cursed myself again and took out my pitiful broken umbrella, wandering onward sadly with my stupid floppy bit of fabric wavering over my head as the sprinkle continued.I walked like this for a while, trying not to cry, wishing I could cut my stupid hands off.Then I stopped. I took a deep breath. I took off my pack a d stood up straight. It wasn't raining. I was only three miles from the shelter. It was a beautiful day. I was tired and miserable, but my hands had stopped burning, the calamine drying to a crust. It was still early. I pulled out a CLIF bar (I do love them) and chocolate and filled my tummy. Then I felt a bit sugar-sick, but better.I decided to just aim for the next shelter. I could quit early, catch up on my journal, cook an early dinner, amd rest.So I walked more leisurely the rest of the way, taking deep breaths and gaining perspective. I am not going to die. I will be uncomfortable but I will live. I got to the shelter, which has since filled. I ate dinner (and double dessert) and called my dad, who I haven't had a chance to talk to lately. I miss him, so I was so happy to hear his voice.I am very lucky that I have a good relationship with both of my parents. They are also my friends! They have supported me so much with my crazy AT dream. Poor mom is amazing, filling my mail drop requests endlessly.I am cold now, and too full (have to get that eating under control... I will be one of the few people to GAIN weight long-distance hiking instead of losing it). But I am safe. My hands have not burned off. I can go to sleep soon and hike a long, fairly easy day tomorrow. I am sad that Frozen Mac is ahead of me now. I wanted to ask her about her shoes. But I will be taking time off of the trail when mom and Dan visit, so she would have gotten way ahead of me anyway at that point.It is raining and windy and chilly, but summer will come eventually and then I will be miserable and hot, not cold. Still, I am happy to be on the trail. The morning was amazing, and there are many more amazing days to come. I will be able to enjoy them once I thaw out.I am thankful for perspective, learning experiences, and a beautiful view out the back of this shelter. I am thankful for my parents, I am so glad I got to talk to BOTH of them today. I am thankful that Bob Peoples gave me gloves, because I am cold. Although I am hesitant to wear them lest I infect them with poison ivy or whatever my affliction is.