Date: 2018-05-14
From: Whiskey Springs Road

To: Boiling Springs / Carlisle 
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up and got breakfast at the hotel, then joined Puddles in our scheduled shuttle at 8:15. It would be a short slack pack day for me. Puddles was going a little further, hiking from Boiling Springs north past Carlisle. I was hiking 6 miles from Whiskey Springs Road to Boiling Springs to complete the section I didn't finish when I came off trail two days ago. It was a damp, foggy, peaceful morning. The ground was still wet from the rain yesterday. I started off hiking over some rocks and then had a short climb, settling in at a nice, easy pace. My knees, right ankle, and right shin were a little sore, so I was hiking slower than yesterday. It would be an easy day of hiking, an active rest/recovery day. Some of the rock formations are amazing. It makes me wonder how the rocks ended up where they are and in the configurations that they¢re in. Looking at some things along the trail makes me want to do more research into the history behind either the geology, or the history behind things like family cemeteries. I had Michael shuttle me back to the hotel yesterday, and he told me about a town that no longer exists, except for remnants of some buildings, the tannery which can still be identified, and a cemetery. The town was called "Pandemonium". He didn¢t know how the name came about, so I was curious and looked it up online. Legend has it there were several ethnic backgrounds making up the town. Because of diversity, people argued about what the language of the church should be. At that point the town didn¢t have a name. Because of all the arguing that was going on, one man yelled, "we should just call ourselves pandemonium, because that¢s what this is!" Three thru hikers from Georgia passed me. We exchanged pleasantries. The men are usually getting quite skinny by now, and many of the women gained enormous muscles in their legs. One of the three was a female this morning. She had long, red, braided ponytails. As she passed me, I couldn¢t help but notice how large her calves were. It was amazing for her size. A lot of the men lose muscle mass making this trek, and many women gain enormous muscle mass. Unfortunately it¢s almost all lower body and I fear I will use some of my upper body strength during the next six months.The last hiker to pass me had a British accent. I mentioned I was still trying to get my trail legs under me. He assured me that they would come. He said when they do, it would be a marked difference in my hiking. I¢m looking forward to that day, but in the meantime I need to remain injury free. I came across a single spiderweb strand that went from a tree to a rock, spanning approximately eight feet across the trail. I still can't figure out how they can make a strand of web material go across the trail like that. Most of the time, it ends up on my face as I'm hiking. I had a water crossing, and as I was trying to determine where I was going to cross, a small snake swam through the water away from me to the other side. As I hiked, I reflected on my almost 2 weeks on the trail, thinking about what I really enjoyed. It¢s the people. The community is amazing. Everyone supports each other and encourages each other. It¢s not a race and everybody is willing to give advice and tips. We all learn from each other out here. I enjoy the solitude during the day. I haven¢t hiked with anyone, but socialize in the beginning and end of the day. It¢s a nice mixture of the social aspect along with the solitude. Yesterday at breakfast someone mentioned they heard someone say that the trail exposes all of your weaknesses. 100 miles down, and I realize this is true. I¢m in decent physical shape, but the rigors of the trail, along with the weight I carry on my back, definitely made me feel some discomfort. I'm not as organized and efficient as I'd like to be, and continue to "tweak" my "system". I feel stronger every day. I have to temper my desire and drive, with common sense to remain healthy. A journey to be enjoyed and savoredI also thought about how important feet are in accomplishing a thru hike. My foot care, includes soaking my feet in cold water, switching out to dry socks throughout the day, and reapplying anti-friction cream to my feet I make sure my boots are tied in such a fashion that my feet don¢t slide to the end of my boots. It requires cinching up laces where the ankle bends to keep feet secure, so the toes don¢t slide in the boot. This is how people lose toenails, especially if footwear is small and toes hit then end of the toe box. My boots are one size larger than normal, which is common on the trail. It¢s necessary to have footwear larger than normal to accommodate socks, swelling of the feet, and movement of the foot. I¢ve been very fortunate in the section hikes I¢ve done, along with the current hike, to be blister free. In addition, I utilize a file to keep calluses filed down. For CrossFit workouts, I file hand calluses so the calluses don't rip open when using the pull-up bar or barbells. I file my foot calluses to keep them from ripping open. Trail NamesMost everyone on the trail has a trail name. Some people select their name before coming out on the trail, others are bestowed a trail name from other hikers, usually stemming from a mistake, or something odd about the person. Some trail names have deep meaning to the person and selected as a reminder of who they want to be, or be more like. Some people pick their own names so they don't end up with one they don't want. There¢s many different reasons people choose trail names for others, but if you start hiking without one, you feel pressured to get one so you can fit in.Safety It¢s funny how people back home worry about my safety. People definitely have misconceptions about the trail and the safety aspect. I actually feel safer here than I do in "society". Sure there¢s bears, and snakes and other things, but typically they¢re more afraid of humans then we are of them. Violent encounters on the trail are very rare, as our bear attacks. I feel very comfortable out here, surrounded by my trail family, or "tramily". I am more concerned about ticks than anything else. Support SystemI have an excellent support system. I wouldn¢t be able to do this without it. T is taking care of the home front while I¢m gone. I tried to take care of as many things as I could before I left, including getting vet appointments done, setting up automatic payments and other things. I appreciate Tressa's support more than I can say. It¢s nice to be able to come out here, and not feel guilty about being gone for six months. it was hard to leave, but I knew once I got out here and started hiking that I would feel comfortable. I also have great friends that I know will not only support me on my journey, but will support her during the time that I¢m gone. I appreciate the messages I've received from friends. I feel very supported by friends and family. I'm oblivious to what¢s going on at home most of the time. It is a totally different life from being at home. Tressa teased me before I left about me "going on vacation". It is a vacation of sorts, but it¢s definitely a working vacation with physical, mental, and emotional challenges. There are camp chores to be done every day, and on days off, or partial days in town, there are additional chores in the form of laundry, resupply, figuring out future resupplies and orders, and other odd and end. I have friends that will be meeting me at different locations throughout my journey which I greatly appreciate. It gives me something to look forward to as I continue on. I also look forward to hiking with my dad when I flip-flop back to Harpers Ferry and begin my journey south. He will join me somewhere in the Shenandoah Valley. Knowing that he will hike with me at that point keeps me motivated to keep moving on. If I don¢t complete the northern half, I won¢t have an opportunity to backpack with my dad.When I arrived at Boiling Springs today, I stopped at the ATC for a minute, went to the outfitter, checked on an Uber ride, then ate lunch at Cafe 101. During my lunch, I had a conversation with Teresa, who was sitting near me. We talked for most of lunch. As I was getting ready to summon an uber, I realized the price had gone up from $17 when I checked it before lunch, to $24. I made a comment about not understanding how the price jumped so much during the time I was eating lunch. She asked where I was going and told me she was going to Carlisle, and offered me a ride. The only "catch" was that she had to stop at Aldi. No problem, I needed a couple of items anyway, and I had never shopped there. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation at lunch and in the car during the ride to Carlisle. I noticed that she had an angel hanging from her rear view mirror. How appropriate for a true "trail angel". Thank you Teresa Irvin for the ride from Boiling Springs to Carlisle. You are an official "trail angel", and your kindness very much appreciated.