Date: 2005-04-26
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: PennMar
Miles today: 17.6

(A continuation of my AT Section hike from Harpers Ferry to PennMar in August, 2004.)Day 3: The day dawned bright and sunny, a welcome change from the rain of the day before. I took down my tent, had breakfast, and loaded everything into my pack -- including the ^%#$&*^%^$#$ boots that didn't fit. Wearing my new camp shoes, I set off up the trail. After the previous two days of pain and agony, it was like walking on air. I still had an awful blister on my right heal, but the strap of the sandal was above the sore spot, so I was able to hike pain free. I could have danced up the trail, except that the shoes did not allow enough ankle support for that with my 45 pound pack. In fact, that was the one thing I was concerned about -- that I might twist an ankle or otherwise not be able to maintain my balance. I was also concerned about how they would do over rocks, where my heavy hiking boots were helpful in maintaining my balance. It turned out that I needn't have worried. While I did have to pay attention to where I was placing my feet, that wasn't much of a handicap compared with hiking without pain. In fact, there was only one incident where the shoes came up short in any way, and that was when I managed to step on a thorn that was just a tad longer than the depth of the sole, thus sticking into the ball of my foot momentarily. Other than that, they worked like a charm.So much so, in fact, that we decided to shorten our hike to three days and go for an 18 miler. We weren't sure that was going to be feasible when we started out, and said we would take stock when we'd done the originally planned 12 miles. When we reached the Devils Racecourse Shelter, however, it wasn't a hard decision. The Shelter itself was one of the most miserable I'd seen up to that point in time, almost below water with all the rain we'd had, and old shelter, dark and dank and smelling putrid. We had a snack, refilled our water bladders, and set off for the next five miles down to my car at PennMar.As we approached the park area, the blazes disappeared on us, and we wondered around for awhile before finding a path into the park itself. It's a beautiful spot for a picnic, with a large gazeebo and other attractions, including a snack bar. We took a short rest break there, but were both anxious to push on, which we did. Before reaching my car we also passed a sign announcing the Mason-Dixon Line, and took each other's pictures leaning against it. After an 18 mile day, we were pretty much whupped. Happy, but tired. We drove south again to Harpers Ferry where we collected Spooks Car, and went our separate ways back to Washington. The next day I returned the boots to REI. The blister took another week to heel. While at REI, I also decided to invest in a pair of liner socks to see if that might make a difference. In the hiking I've done since then, I would say that it definitely does make a difference. I used them from Springer Mountain to Fontana Dam, and in 162 miles never had a single blister. -----------\\Ok, folks. That's the last of the section hiks up until the present moment. If all goes well, my next actually hiking entries will be in real time from the AT. And they could begin as early as one week from today! The current plan is to use the coming week to add more milage each day and then to add more weight each day. If the knee holds up, the I will attempt my first AT rehab hike beginning Sunday, May 1 - a three day, 18 mile hike north from PennMar. Stay tuned!Longhaul