Date: 2011-02-03
To: Second Hike
Miles today: 0.0

Pack weight: 23 lbs (3 days food, 1 liter water)A few adjustments had to made in preparation for my second hike. First, I dropped 5 liters of water from my pack. This saved me roughly 10 lbs in weight. It was at the advice of an '09 thru hiker whom I met the previous weekend at the shelter. He pointed out the advantage of carrying less and filling up at the springs more. I'd have to say I agree with his advice. Second, I discarded the tee shirt I had worn the previous week and stuck with my under armor cold weather shirt. The cotton shirt from the week before ended up soaked with perspiration and I realized the drying time of said shirt would be too long to be any use on the trail. I'm only carrying one spare change so to have my clothes washed and dried quickly is a must. I am still debating between a new synthetic shirt (which fits like a shirt) or wearing under armor the whole trail. Though skin tight clothing may be acceptable on the trail, I don't want to be looking half clothed while in town. My best guess is I will pick up something more acceptable while on the trail after the cold weather dies down.Third, I abandoned the idea of hiking in running shoes. I purchased Salomon XA Comp GTX 5's from REI. I enjoyed the balance between weight and rigidness of the shoe. The sole was thick enough to pad my feet, and the arch did not collapse like my previous shoe. I wore them the week before to 'break them in' and tried to do some running at the gym. A growing pain was starting in my right ankle and foot, but I thought this was normal with new shoes and would go away. I was wrong. I was pushing my feet too hard because I desperately wanted to break in the shoes for the coming weekend. The night before my hike I was walking around with what felt like a knife in my ankle.So with all the changes made, I started off Saturday around 10:30am (a very late start). The plan for the day was to hike from Carlisle area (Interstate 81 crossing) to Duncanon. The weather was maybe 10 degrees at the start of my hike. Again, I was happy for the cold and hiked in my sweatshirt and under armor after the first 2 miles. Steam was coming off of my head the entire day. The severe temperatures had turned all of the snow (about 4 inches at the base of the mountain) into a sheet of ice. The trail crosses farm lands for the first couple miles which wind sweeps over making an ice skating rink 4 miles long. In order to keep from falling (which I did about 3 times... much to the amusement of onlooking farmers), I had to punch my heels into the ground to get through the ice and onto firmer footholds. My hiking poles glanced off the ground and were all but useless in this section. There were no footprints for me to follow this time... no one was stupid enough to attempt my icecapades.Once I made it into the woods the ice slacked, but I still fought to hold onto my hiking poles as they bounced and skidded off the ground. The pain in my ankle had only gotten worse with all the ice and added weight of the pack, but I decided to move forward, unwilling to retrace my steps. As stated earlier, here were no human tracks on the trail. But the snow did serve as a blank canvas, showing the recent history of every animal who wandered across the path. This in itself allowed my mind to wander beyond the pain in my ankle and onto the lives being lived in the woods that we know nothing about. If they can survive this snow and ice... so can I. One set of tracks were particularly interesting (Pic above) They belonged to a dog. This dog (medium to large build if I had to guess) had walked the trail before me. I'm not talking about a section of the trail... I am talking about 12 miles of the trail without deviating course. There was no other prints in the snow but this lone dog. He was not following someone... he was following the trail. Though he has no knowledge of my existence, he was my companion that saturday.Between the ice and snow (which on the mountain formed 2 ft. drifts across the trail) I was making horrible time. The sun began to set and temperatures were dropping. I was 4 miles away from town with darkness falling around me on top of a mountain. It was NOT where I wanted to be. I could no longer feel the pain in my ankle... as long as I kept walking. This pain caused me to push past taking breaks, or lunch, or stopping for more water. My camel pack hose had frozen more than 5 times that day and I didn't have the time anymore to thaw it (though I did stick it under my shoulder strap/shirt to keep it mostly free from ice). I had two choices: I could sit down on the top of the mountain and feel sorry for myself, or I could accomplish my goal and make it to town. I toyed with the first idea for about 5 minutes before it became clear to me which choice to take. The trail was not defeating me, I was defeating me. The trail did not force me into this state, I did. If I was capable of feeling this defeat... I was also capable of feeling the opposite. This thought brought on a surge of self confidence. It no longer mattered what state I was in, I was capable of changing that. I literally ran down off the mountain... covering 4 miles through snow and ice in one hour. The sun set as my foot touched payment in the town of Duncanon. I had completed my 17 mile goal for the day.I am grateful to have experienced a day like this before my hike... as I am sure to encounter more. My mental attitude overcame the physical barriers that lay in front of me. I could have let it be the other way around... but then I could still be up on that mountain knee deep in snow. Everything I have read about being more mentally prepared than physically prepared now has etched a permanent place in my head. Days after my trip (after I was able to walk on my ankle again) a stupid thought crossed my mind. I took off my right boot, moved the insert over 3 millimeters, and put the boot back on. I have never worn more comfortable shoes. I hope this will help my fellow '11 thru hikers experience a much more pleasant journey than I did that day. CHECK YOUR SHOE INSERTS AND MAKE SURE THEY ARE CENTERED TO YOUR FEET. I could have saved myself a week of pain and $5 on an ace bandage. More importantly... I learned a lesson that may make the difference between seeing Katadyn or seeing the backseat of car heading home.Gear list to come... and maybe some real information about myself.