Date: 2008-07-18
From: Harper's Ferry

To: past Ed Garvey's Shelter
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: clear sky

It is 3:00 pm and as I write I sit along the Potomac River. This is a wide river dotted here with islands of rocks and grass. I have only come a little ways from town but I like it here and am thinking of staying the night! Both people in the outfitter store advised me to take a zero day, to give my feet a rest... I didn't want to pay the hotel fee so here I am. Ahghhh! A mink just ran by!!!! I can hardly believe it. Right in front of me, between me and the shore of the river, not 10 feet away! When I whistled, he stopped, looked my way and then moved on, and out of sight. No time for a picture. Bummer. But so cool to see a mink here. I never would have expected it! This morning after Doug left the ATC I finished my journals, chatted with "Stitches" about her thru hike in '99, browsed through the published books about the AT and then, finally, headed out and back to the Inn. I went right to the outfitters --got help from the nicest lady--Laura--who was incredibly patient and giving, not in a hurry and willing to sit and listen to all of my foot problems. They have gotten bearly tolerable in recent days. I have blisters on both heels, a blister on the inside of one toe, pain in both arches and worst of all, shooting pains in the balls of my feet, especially late in the day and in the middle of the night. They usually last less than 15 minutes but are oh so painful. When I'm hiking and one comes on, I have to stop and try to sit down. Laura, who of course has seen many many hikers and heard many stories, had some suggestions for me. First she thought the insoles I had in were sized improperly. And the pain in the balls of my feet she thought was nerve damage. We settled on a go-lite trail runner that happened to be on sale. Bonus for me! My feet feel okay now, but of course I haven't walked very far. Only time will tell. Laura sent me away with some epsome salt and Karan, who runs the Inn, got me a bin to soak my feet. So there I sat, down in the bunkroom, soaking my feet while eating my microwave dinner of noodles, chicken and veggies. Multi-tasking at its best! Then I walked down the steps to the shopping district, visited the ATM and had a cold refreshing ice cream treat. I have found that people in these towns are so amazing--willing to lend an ear or offer directions or do whatever it takes to help us on our journeys. I think of them as stepping stones in the river of challenge. Without them it would be hard to get by. The gift of their time is priceless. This, sitting by the river is mesmorizing, like watching a campfire after dark. And no flies!!!! I may have to stay the night! 8:05 Well I ended up moving on, after nearly 3 hours of relaxing. Such a treat! I only walked a bit over 6 miles out of town. Set up in the woods, a nice flat and leafy place, my door facing the setting sun. I am looking forward to a good night sleep. My feet feel okay so far. Tomorrow will be the real test. And tonight. I removed 2 more embedded ticks tonight, one in my belly button. That makes 5 so far. I have to wonder how many I don't catch, that are on my back or on my head. I might look into getting a mirror so I can do a decent check every night.