Date: 2008-06-18
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon PA
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Hey everybody! I put up a few pictures. The first is my new svelte figure--the first time I have been able to fit into size 36 pants in many years. The other is of McKafee Knob--what a wonderful place. The feet are a little better. I have taken to wrapping the arch tight with athletic tape (Thanks Marchita) and it takes away the real bad pain. It is now a tolerable pain. I have hiked this way for the last three days and it seems to be working. I just won't be putting in the 20+ mile days that I wanted to. I figure as long as I reach my goal, it doesn't matter how long it takes.The weird thing is, I did not get any blisters until I got the orthotics. I now wear them in my shoes as soon as I get into camp, until I go to bed. Then I put an arch wrap on my arches at night. In the morning, I tape them up tight. The other thing that seems to be working, is when I get the foot pain, I scrunch my toes as I lift my foot. After a dozen times, the pain seems to go away for a while. I just keep repeating this and so far, so good.The giardia is taking its sweet time going away. I think this may be part of the reason for my now 50 lb weight loss. Two weeks before I started, I was 240 lbs., now I am 190. I still don't recognize myself in the mirror. The hard part will be keeping it off, but as of yet, I really have to force myself to get all the calories I need. I am hoping this will change soon.My food tastes have changed. I doubt that I will ever eat the following in this lifetime again: Ramen noodles, Poptarts, Lipton side dishes, and 3 0z. tuna packets. It is weird--I used to crave sugar, now I crave anything that does not have sugar in it. I really don't even like candy bars at the moment.I have now officially crossed the halfway point. I would like to say that it is all downhill from here, but I know the toughest part is yet to come. NH and ME are the hardest states. And the last half of PA is known as Rocksylvania. We will see.I am also getting BUGGED. Two types. The 17 year cicada (locust) decided this was the year to makes its appearance in the Appalachians. The drone is just starting. Hopefully it will be over within a few weeks. The other bug is the gypsy moth. The caterpillars are everywhere. You can here them eating and the poop hitting the forest floor. The chewed leaves fall from the sky and look like jigsaw puzzle pieces on the ground. The worst part is the missing tree canopy. I am supposed to be in the long green tunnel, yet I can see way too much sky through the chewed leaves. This means my farmer tan is getting even darker. The worst part is yet to come. What looks like millions of dead caterpillars attached to the trees will soon be flocks of moths. Can't wait. Gotta go--I have a haircut appointment in 10 minutes...Gonna get the old #2 hair clippers. I kinda like the new look--again, it makes it easier to check for ticks.Thanks again for all the support--talk to you soon.TroutbumP.S. I am in Duncannon, PA, staying at the Doyle Hotel, which is over one hundred years old. P.P.S. Hey everybody! Just an update. I just posted some more pictures (including my new quarter-inch haircut, a little shorter than i wanted--apparently it was the #4 hair clippers, not the #2--but it will grow out eventually...meanwhile, again, so much easier to check for ticks!). Time for sleep. Last night I conked out at 7:15 p.m., before I'd even had a chance to call my girlfriend. We play a lot of phone-tag on the Trail.