Date: 2013-09-02
From: Apple Orchard (Davis, WV with Bev and John Lawrenc

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

So, I had a good old fashion taste of just how hard the AT will be.I set out on a 36 mile trek along the Buffalo River in Arkansas. Just me and the pup. When I got to the shuttle place I was informed that dogs were not allowed - WTF!I decided screw it, I would pay the price and risk the fine of being caught with Coop (fine 50 - 500 bucks!). I paid the money and headed to the truck.Then I just sat in the truck...I couldn't do it! I would not enjoy the hike for fear of getting in trouble by the law, or the retributions of other hikers...So I trod back in and asked for a shuttle refund. They suggested I kennel him....Ok, why not?I drove Coopy to Harrison, AR and dropped him off. The folks at the kennel were so nice, but my heart was broken leaving him! But hey he's just a dog, right?Back to the Shuttle place at Buffalo Outdoor Recreation (BOC). Pay again.I jumped in the truck and headed to the trail head. While I was there, the nice ladies from BOC show up to take my truck. I am off! FINALLY!About 1/4 mile in I hear a horn and a "HEY"!! I call back...I hear, "you forgot your map"!!! I think to myself, DAMN I SUCK! I jog back and grab the map.It is now very late in the day about 6pm. I start walking. My pack is heavy, 35lbs. I have some rum I admit, but most of the weight comes from my 3 liters of water and way too much food!!!!I walk. It gets darker and I decide to walk on to the next water source.It is August, water is scarce, that worries me more than anything. Besides I have been wanting to increase my skills at night hiking.During the walk I see a fawn, a woodpecker and a raccoon! Damn I am missing Coop!Night hike goes ok, but I would be a liar if I didn't tell you I got freaked out a couple of times. I found that singing quelled this (I tried whistling, that doesn't work). The bad part is I don't know many songs and in my state of mind I sing The Brady Bunch and Gilligan's Island over and over.Now that I am out of the woods, I wonder why I didn't sing some Joplin or Jones?Finally I find a water source, it's not much of one, but the water looks clear and it is running. I have this crazy idea that I am going to cowboy camp! So, I lay out my air mattress and kick back - I miss Coop!It's creepy. The woods at night are so full of sounds. Fuck it! I can't take it I have to put up the tent!As I am doing this I hear foot steps...I call out - WHO'S THERE?!!! I grab my bear mace and call out again - then I notice, just a few step from me an armadillo in a mud hole. I yelled at him to get the hell away from me!!! How can just a little guy make so much noise!? Copper would have made short order of this nighttime fear.I can't eat. Not hungry. I have drink. I read. Then I feel an itch. I take my bandana and start rubbing my body.It is hot and humid and I am sweaty in my tent. I look down at my thigh and I see what I think are little dirt clods on my thighs. I keep scrubbing my body. These little gray dirt clods are all over my body.At some point I look down at my thigh again and HOLY SHIT the gray little clods are MOVING!!!! GROSS! I grab my insect repellant and spray and spray and spray!!!At last... relief. I know I still have 9 miles to my next store, so I check my repellant - I have 1/3 of a bottle. I lay my head down to go to sleep. It eludes me - what was that noise? Who is there? COOP WHERE ARE YOU?I fall asleep at some point. I dream. I dream I left Coop at a kennel, but at my tent is a cute little min-pin pup but it has sores on it. Another dog shows up, it has mange! WTF?! I wake up again.Finally, I turn on my iTunes and, at last, sleep!!!!!!!! I actually wake up at about 7, to Janis no less:}.Breaking down camp goes textbook (thank goodness). And off I go.The walk is uneventful - in fact as I walked I thought, this is how much of the AT will be...just walking in a green tunnel. The hike is hard. I am out of shape. It is hot. I miss Coop.I missed the blazes twice. The trail is primitive in places, but more so when it crosses private property. The first time I couldn't find the blaze I lost about 30 minutes. The next time probably an hour!So, to the second lost trail adventure. I come up out of ravine to a field - sign says "DON'T LEAVE THE TRAIL - PRIVATE PROPERTY!". I go right, I come back, I go left, I come back I drop pack and wonder around. Finally, I think my spidey sense got it. So I put the pack on and start walking to the right.I walk thru the field, I pass some sheep in a fence and snap a pic. I walk more and veer right, I am skirting a stream - I KNOW I AM WRONG! So, I decide to filter some more water and wash off.I sit down on a rock and felt an itch on my leg. I lift up my pants leg - OMG!!!! I lift the other!!! OMG!!! I unbutton my pants too look at my legs!!! NOT GOOD!!!!I have have hundreds..yes hundreds...of bites on my legs! It reminds me of an AT video I saw where the dude says, "I AM FUCKED, I AM SO FUCKING FUCKED!!" Ok, I wasn't really that afraid, I just put that in there for dramatic affect. I have no insect repellent left and I still have 2 miles to go. I strip down to the bra and panties and wash off.At this point I am thinking I will probably need to shit can this hike. Not just because of the bugs, but I am really missing Coop. Ok, so now I know my goal.Now I am a girl obsessed - GET TO STORE - GET MEDICINE - GET COOP - GET TACO JOHNS (in Russellville)!! I am off!!! What could go wrong, right?What could go wrong is I was hot, tired, itching like crazy and I missed a blaze! I go downhill and make it to the Buffalo River. I hear cars, I hear a car very very close. I decide to cross the river and go road walk. But I am worried, I don't know where I am - if I make it to the road do I go left or right? What does it matter?I walk. I get to a fence and I see the road. A flock of wild turkeys flys away. I hate birds! But to get there I have to walk thru private property. I don't want to risk it. I think I see a road about 1/4 mile up. I decide to walk to the gravel road. There are no trails. I beat brush. I get so exhausted, I go back to the river and just sit in the water. It feels so good. But, I don't have time to spare - If I am going to break Coop out of jail, I need to get moving!I beat the brush back up to the fence. I am looking over the fence and I see a truck stop and pick up backpackers - odd I think.At this point I don't care about private property...I am going to risk it. I hope the fence - but holy crap guess who owns this pasture? A BULL!!! He is eying me - but he is very far away. I have to take the long way now thanks to him!! I walk the fence to the left (no way was I leaving the fence line) - he walks, I walk, he walks, I walk. Space is on my side!!!I get to the road. I think about the guys I just saw hitching. As I sit resting a motorcycle comes around the corner - I flag them down to ask direction to Ponca.They are two cute young men that say they don't have room. LOL! I said, I know, I just want to see which way to Ponca. Out of nowhere they also apologized for not having water. WOW! How sweet I thought - I just grinned at them and said no worries, I have water and thanked them.Off I go the two miles (according to my motor cycle buddies) to Ponca.What is that I see ahead? An ELK? Yep - it's an elk. It darts into the road and stops - a car is coming - I can't react to slow the car down, but thankfully the elk can. Catastrophe averted!I walk - a car goes past and turns around - two young men asking if I need a ride. I say I think I have Chiggers!! They don't care - I hop in and they take me to the BOC. They were the folks I saw hitching from across the field - forced off the trail by blisters!They drop me off at the BOC. As I am walking into the store, my motorcycle buddies see me and grin and seem glad I made it! They brag that the store had gas - I say, well I guess it is a good day for all of us!!The ladies in the BOC are sooooo glad to see me and glad I am getting off the trail. I guess they were fretting about me! I find this touching. They also sell me medicine for chigger relief.I am off to get COOPER!!! I pick him up - the ladies at the kennel brag about how well trained and nice dog he is - (I laugh knowing that he is a defiant AHOLE!).My new obsession is Taco Johns! I am very hungry at his point and itchy. It is 80 miles away. I drive, I scratch Coop and apologize, and I spray the medicine on me. OVER and OVER and OVER!!Holy crap - I have used almost all my itch medicine - I drive into Russleville and suddenly itch medicine overrides potatoes oles!! I can't find a frickin Walgreens! or Walmart! or supermarket! WTF!I reset my nav to another Taco Johns hoping it would take me past a drug store. It does. I run inside and grab cream, pay, run outside and slather it all over my body. Coop could care less, he is sleeping! Relief.I head the half mile to TJS and get a taco bravo, taco burger and Oles with nacho cheese and extra seasoning.Cooper is now awake and seems to really like me. I devour it!!!I finally make it back the trailer - I strip down and throw all my clothes in the washer and head for the shower - It is the first look I have had at the ravage my body has taken! Legs, arms, belly are a big hot mess of welts and bits and puss! It is weird to touch myself, I don't want to, it repulses me, but I have to!I get out of the shower and slather myself in calamine. It looks like a pink blood crime scene (thanks jeanne)...I could give a rats ass! I just want relief and it brings it - for like a minute! Saturday is more of the same!I don't remember ever touching myself and each touch brought ecstasy - relief! Call it what you want! It felt good! I rubbed creams and lotions on my body non stop for hours, no sleep for 1 day!I am outside and see a young man weed eating. He cusses about something and I am like what? He hadn't realized I was there and apologizes profusely.I am like no worries. I had talked briefly to him the day before, but was in not mood for conversation - I had itches to scratch.We strike up a conversation about my legs, at this points there are not just red dots but huge blisters!!! He was a young man but had sense to tell me to go to the docs!!I would tell this long story, but it is the same story we all know when dealing with medical system, i.e. that is a whole other story.I got a steroid shot in my BUTT!!!The End.Have you ever popped the bubbles in a bubble rap? Was it hard to stop!? Well, that is how I am with blisters! I know I should leave them alone! BUT I CAN'T STOP!Coop has been sleeping and chasing squirrels as I itched! I should have left him in prison!