Date: 2007-04-25
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Wednesday, April 25miles today 0cumulative miles 622.1 I thought I would be back on the trail today, but my feet had a different idea of their own, and since they are doing all the work, I had no choice but to give in. After the rocky terrain and high mileage of the past few days, my dogs were barking and begging for a break. Plus mentally I was not ready to get back on the trail, although my entire group of hiking buddies continued north today. Part of me feels guilty, that I should want to be hiking every day, and if not, I have no reason or right being out here. If I don't want to be on the trail one day, does it signify that this journey isn't all that I hoped and dreamed it would be? If I need a day off from the hiking, have no desire to be hiking, is it a bad omen for the days to come? If I'm not loving every minute any more, is it time to reconsider? Is it wrong to be thinking about or admitting to any of this? No, I think it necessary at times to revisit and redefine what I want from this journey, an absolute requirement to take time off when I need it, a smart move to give my body rest when it's crying out. A worse decision would have been to continue northward just because my posse decided to, knowing that my heart and mind weren't in it. I want to want to be on the trail, able to enjoy the sights and sounds around me without feeling like I have to be here just to slog through the miles. If it takes me a day to re-ignite that desire, then so be it. I am fairly certain I will see my friends again, but if not, I will cherish the time we spent together, while I get to know or reunite with so many of the other wonderful people on the trail. I still had a number of things to accomplish in Pearisburg anyways. First and foremost was getting a new pair of shoes, as I decided to switch from my gortex boots to a pair of sneakers for a myriad of reasons. With the constant impact on my feet, they have swollen in width and my boots are now causing my little toes to go numb. Gortex, while great in the snow and cold, is hot, and doesn't allow my feet to breathe, aggravating what I believe is a raging case of athlete's foot. And boots are heavy, supposedly equivalent to adding five pounds of pack weight for every extra pound on the feet. Hopefully running shoes, men's no less for my now gigantic feet, will alleviate some or, even better, all of these problems. I also spent some time trying to reduce pack weight, switching out gear, cutting more unnecessary straps off my backpack, trying to get by with even less. Now that the weather has warmed, I hopefully won't need as much cold weather gear. Trading my 20-degree sleeping bag for a 40-degree one saves 2 pounds; getting rid of long underwear, scarf, and sock liners another pound or so. I hope it doesn't snow again, for I am no longer prepared. Thank God for the Goodwill in Pearisburg - shopping almost made me feel like a girl again. It was fun to try on normal clothing - like jeans and skirts - that I haven't worn for over a month. No true woman can resist buying shoes, and so I will have a brand new pair of bronze heels, a size bigger, waiting for me when I arrive to my home state of PA, along with a matching dress that I just couldn't resist. I did buy some needed trail-worthy gear as well, such as tank tops for the warmer weather and another cute little dress that I can wear to feel a bit less hiker and a lot more feminine while in towns and instead of a rain suit while doing laundry. Boy I wish I had the matching shoes, if only I weren't trying to reduce pack weight. All in all, I think a town day was just what I needed to refresh my body, mind, and spirit. Does a day of not wanting to hike mean I don't want to be on the trail any longer? Not on your life.