Date: 2009-06-01
From: Spring-Fed Pond

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: clear sky

Today was a pretty rough day on my leg. In the early morning, we awoke to a fresh layer of frost on the ground. We were at 3,800 feet already, but the temperature must have dropped to a near-freezing temperature. Even inside my 20 degree sleeping bag, I was still a bit chilly. On the way up to the shelter, I began talking with Phatmandu, a thru-hiker from Perth, Australia. Phatmandu is an older chap and worked in the oil fields off the coast of Darwin, Australia for most of his life. He is semi-retired and, until recently, has taken up part-time employment as a bus driver in Perth's city center. We chatted all about Australian history - both of the current political environment and how the country came to be. I've always been fascinated by Australia, possibly as a result of my own father having lived there for a few years shooting kangaroo and digging for sapphires, among other crazy escapades. Phatmandu was quite impressed with my knowledge of the current political environment with Kevin Rudd taking over the reigns from John Howard, who was a big Bush supporter - especially in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Kevin Rudd also recently publicly apologized for the 'lost generation' of Aboriginees, which was a huge step towards moving forward as a country (imagine Native Americans in our own country receiving full rights). As Phatmandu pointed out, however, it opens up a can of worms in lawsuits towards the government. We must have discussed Australia for about two hours. As I have recently acquired my British citizenship, I am eligible for employment in Australia up to 18 months, under the work-holiday visa. Even if I were to apply for a more standard visa, I would have a much better chance at receiving full employment by having this British citizenship. In the next few years, my intention is to travel and work around the globe, thereby broadening my knowledge and ways of the world. I will certainly be foregoing a great deal in the process - relationships, circle of friends, and stability - but I will also be gaining much more in the process. Phatmandu was well on his way to convincing me that I should move to Perth to teach in a high school. "The women are beautiful, you have the beach right there, you can surf every day, the weather is dry and always sunny, and you have a resource boom in the area." We'll see about developments in the next few years, but Perth could certainly be on the horizon at some point. My leg continued to hurt and I began to walk with a heavy limp, having to keep my entire leg straight or else it would be excrutiating pain. My concern was that it was a muscle tear and that I was only making it worse. At the early evening, I stopped at the Jenkins Shelter to eat my dinner and, ultimately, decided that I was not going to push on because my leg was in such bad shape. It was a small 11.8 mile day, but I really just couldn't keep going. I met a family of four out doing a short 5-day section. From what I gathered from the college-aged brother and sister, it was one of these 'Chevy Chase National Lampoon's Vacations'. They were getting incredibly annoyed by the shananigans of their parents and even had to carry 10 extra pounds, as their mom hurt her toenail and couldn't carry her entire pack. Later on, Raspberry and Raindancer, along with Laser and Scarecrow, showed up. I need a good night's sleep to rest my leg and I am pretty confident that I will be taking a few zero days in Bland, VA. But, I am stuck out in the woods right now and will have to 'man up' and hike on tomorrow, despite the pain. I can do it!