Date: 2018-04-26
To: Pinefield hut
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 74 4/26 As we started to go up into Shenandoah Mountain National Park the fog got extremely dense. Luke had to drive 20-25 miles an hour. As we drove into the park. We must have seen 20 or 30 deer spread out on our drive to where Luke was going to drop us off. It made for some tents driving as it seems there was a deer around every curve. After Luke dropped us off, he was going to continue on in the park to Big Meadow Wayside. There he would pick up Mel and drive her up to Front Royal where he was going to switch cars. Curtis and I I hit the trail at 8:15. It was pretty smooth hiking today. We went to our first wayside which is another name for a little restaurant store. That's what they call them and Shenandoah National Park. After we had lunch we start of hiking again. Curtis immediately spotted a bear. I spotted the two Clubs that were between us and the mama bear. We went back and told the supervisor at the wayside. She encourage us to just yell if the bear apporched otherwise quietly, carefully work our way past where the bear was cuz it was below the trail. We had a nice afternoon and rolled in I think around 2 o'clock. We were first to the shelter. Then a girl 22 came in who started March 15th and already caught up. She was hiking with her mother and father for the weekend. She was also hiking with a brace because she had a completely torn ACL. They were going to repair her knee after she finished her hike. Her dad was interested in pushing on, so after they had a quick bite to eat they headed out of the shelter. Slow Papa had come in He is 74. He takes care of his sick wife 10 months of the year. He then gets a 2 month break when he goes hikeing. He actually lives up near Tionesta, Pennsylvania in Warren Pennsylvania. So we had lots to talk about. Curtis built a nice fire. By 5 Curtis was laying down. By 8 pm four or five other hikers came in as well. They were all doing 20 25 mile days. Typically you're going to get in later like 7- 8 at night. We won't be seeing them again. I'm starting to see a real pattern of the 20 to 25 mile get it done hiker coming through. They can start as much as a month after me but there young and going full tilt. The interesting thing is they're often talking about their sore knees. There were two hiker from Gettysburg College. They were involved in the outdoor club . They were used to hiking with big packs as they took care of other people the one girl got up in the morning and wrapped her knee with an Ace bandage . The other one had shin splints . They were planning to make it 2 Gettysburg Pennsylvania in like a week. They talked about doing the four State Challenge, which is a 40-mile hike . You start in Virginia shoot through West Virginia, cover the 30 miles in Maryland on which 20 miles is very difficult rock surface and end up in Pennsylvania. Usually you started at midnight to give yourself 24 hours to make it through. I just laughed to myself. They're practically limping now. I don't think go get to Gettysburg on time. I don't think they'll do the four State Challenge either. I understand their thinking. At McAfee knob a through hiker explained it. You push yourself mentally you know you can do it. So you think of the scenarios where you can do it you will do it. Burn when it comes to doing it something goes wrong. I know cuz I just went through that. In my mind I was going to be able to do 30 miles a day 6 days a week. I was building up gradually and thought everything was going fine. I realize now I overlooked how tired I was. I remember saying I was having trouble starting in the morning. I couldn't get up to speed. I figured it was just a loss of focus. No it was my body telling me I was pushing too far too fast too hard. I was testing myself trying to meet a mental goal. I even fell asleep at lunch the day that my knee and my back said enough. But I couldn't see any of the symptoms because I didn't want to. I believed it was mind over matter and I could do this. Many times it works that way. I knew Curtis and Luke we're coming and we would be hiking smaller miles so I figured I would rest then. On the Appalachian Trail, 2000 miles just wears you down. There may be some Mind Over Matter on my journey to Maine. My knee and my back told me it does matter and we're done. I had to rest. If I didn't listen and rest, I would have had a hike ending overuse injury. I am impressed with how many people try to push through the pain and end up off the trail. With rest and gentleness, I am coming back into form with 10 to 15 miles a day. I'll just keep doing the 10 to 15 with Curtis as my knee rebounds. I fell asleep before they even moved away from the table.b