Date: 2004-07-24
From: Georgia

To: Maine
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: overcast clouds

July 24, 04Murray Property (Top Secret Free Hostel just over state line into NY)Mile 1329So I hit a wall. Anxious to get out of Pennsylvania, I chargedheadlong past a sprained ankle, through a nasty stomach virus (or badwater, not sure) that had me swaggering dizzily for three days, andover far too many miles for my poor feet with nothing but the rest ofnight. Some nights I was still hiking an hour or so after dark. Sonot even night could protect my feet from zealous me. At last the miles got to me. Here I had planned to rip through fiftymile NJ in just two days, and on the second day at twenty-five milesin, I pissed my pants coming down a mountain, so all-consuming was thepain in my feet with every step.   I had pushed my high tolerance forpain to the limit. I emailed friend Mike, told him my situation, told him how close I'dcome to quitting earlier that day, and he booked me a room for twonights at the Forest Motel. Mike is a true friend.Such constant and extreme physical rigor I had never known before in mylife. I had never been much into sports in my school years, and aslife went on into my twenties and thirties, I never exercised. Hardlyever. I didn't need to. I had a high metabolism and a naturalslimness about me, and I was plenty active. Just not athletic. Nowsuddenly, driven on by haste and a desire to match the kind of paceElly (already in Maine) had set, I'd been running a marathon nearlyevery day. At the forest Motel, I lay in bed and wrote, sat on myhandmade pillow at the payphone outside and called friends, and drank abuncha cheap beer. I firmly believe that my appetite for beer hashelped me on this journey. Both for the carb intake and thecelebration aspect, rewarding oneself for mileposts achieved. Below is a list of the ten day push that ended with bruised feet and aforced rest. Tonight I'm cowboy camping (no tent, just a bag beneaththe stars) in some past thruhiker's field in rural NY state. I tookit slow yesterday and today, hiking just ten miles and then twelvetoday. The feet are responding well.[My mileages since returning from a week off in NH..]7/12: Duncannon to Peters Mtn Ferry - 11.4 (bad ankle sprain)7/13: Peters Mtn Ferry to Rattling Run - 10.17/14: Rattling Run to William Penn - 20.77/15: William Penn to Rock Steps (past Eagles Nest) - 227/16: Rock Steps to Port Clinton - 6.4 (waylaid by free town-sponsoredaccommodations and 40s of Yuengling beer)7/17: Port Clinton to crash camp in woods - 28 7/18: Crash camp to Palmerton - 12 (illness & rain)7/19: Palmerton to stealth camp - 217/20: stealth to Delaware Water Gap & beyond (10 miles into Jersey) -277/21: Mohican Center to Culver Gap and the Forest Motel - 16 [Postscript: when a hiker named Paradox saw me & expressed relief thathe'd "caught up with someone" and others in the group here tonightexpressed surprise that I was not far ahead of them now, I came up witha clever response. "Well, you see, the ATC got a hold of me andarranged for me to stay in a motel for two nights, drop back as itwere, so that all of you could enjoy the morale boost of `catching up'to a big miler like me." The boos were unanimous, but mixed with laughter, too.-RSMFor the full story of Rick's journey, visit Jigglebox.com