Date: 2015-05-27
From: Peters Mountain Shelter 

To: Rausch Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was an 18 mile day which is my biggest mileage so far. Hopefully I won't have too many of these. It was pushing it a bit too much because of my sore feet. It was also my first day of hiking in a downpour for hours and trudging through ankle deep water. My friend Jane, Art Gypsy, met me at a road crossing in the morning and greeted me with fresh raspberries that were still chilled. Such an unexpected delight as we lounged on the rocks and chatted.My feet have been killing me, and I just don't know what to think. I am wearing my Salomon trail runners which I love and are so comfortable, but only tested on the hiking trails in Florida. I know a lot of thru-hikers wear trail runners now, but my feet are so sore I have to stop every couple hours and lay down and rest my legs up a tree to relieve the pain and swelling. Not sure if it's because of my shoes or the rocks or the pack weight. They feel fine in the morning but are unbearable by the end of the day. My AWOL guide tells me there is a Cabella's in Hamburg which is a couple days away. It is a 250,000 sf outdoors center and is their largest location in the world. My plan is to take a zero day and look for a new pair of boots. My rain jacket also was a major fail today so I hope to on purchase a new one as well. I was colder with my jacket on as it soaked me all the way through and the water somehow collected and stayed inside my shirt. Everytime I adjusted the hat on my jacket I had freezing water pouring through and soaking me even more. After a few hours of this I realized my pockets were open and the water flowed into the netting and dumped on me. So dumb of me. When the skies cleared and the rain stopped we saw the cutest bright orange fire newts which look like salamanders. I counted eight of them and got plenty of pictures before they scurried away. The trail was alive with the sounds of birds chirping in chorus and squirrels and chipmunks darting everywhere. It was a beautiful afternoon when the rain stopped. What a contrast from the morning when the sun was blazing and we picked and ate wild strawberries to our stomach's content. As I was squatting in the woods today to pee I felt something brushing against me from behind. Of course it was poison ivy. The trail for the last few days has been full of it and it's been unavoidable. I've never had a reaction to it before so hopefully I won't have a crazy case of the itches.We made it to the shelter right before dusk and it was a gorgeous hike along the river and atop comfy pine needles. Everything was so lush, green and wet. Art Gypsy told me to turn around and there was the most dazzling sunset through the tall majestic trees. Such a glorious sight. When we walked by the shelter we were told the shelter was full and that we would be tenting tonight. I was planning on tenting most nights and doing very little sleeping in shelters, but I'm doing the opposite. The shelters are so nice and with the rain in the evenings or threat of rain I don't want the extra weight of a wet tent if I can help it. It turned out to be another beautiful day. The only part of my body that ever hurts are my feet, and tonight is no exception. My knees are doing great so far. Happy about the mileage today. Looking forward to a good nights sleep and a new day tomorrow.