Date: 2009-06-30
From: Tumbling Run Shelter

To: Fayettville
Miles today: 10.0

So I was very happy to have hiked 18.1 miles yesterday. My happiness though, quickly turned into regret after just a few miles of hiking today. We had big plans today to hike 10 miles into Fayetteville, walk to town to get some pizza, and head another couple of miles outside of town to a shelter. This was one of those days where things did not go according to plan.4 miles into the hike, my feet started hurting. Usually it takes 10 miles before the balls and heels of my feet begin to hurt. This was very discouraging. As hard as I tried to ignore the oncoming pain, I was angry that my feet were already beginning to hurt. I wasn't expecting a lot of pain until we made it into town, and had in mind a relaxing afternoon at a local state park pool to rest up before heading back out. I just couldn't ignore the pain. "Well, it's from those 18 miles yesterday, you did a lot" Matt kept saying. We came to a road crossing that supposedly was 4.9 miles into the hike. Although I didn't feel great about only hiking halfway, I felt better knowing that at least we had gone 5 miles. To my dismay, we hit another road after another half hour and Matt realized that in fact THAT was the road that was 4.9 miles into the hike. I was mad. Sometimes when you are hiking, miles fly by, and before I know it we've done 7. Sometimes, like today, I felt like I had been hiking forever and had made it nowhere. The terrain wasn't even that strenous, except for a climb in the beginning (which I am getting better and better at climbing without feeling like I am going to die!). I don't know know why, but I was angry. Only 4.9 miles??? Another hour in, Matt turned around to ask me if I was going to have peppers on my pizza, and I lost it. I started bawling. My feet hurt so much, my pace had become a crawl. I was dismayed, angry, feeling like we were never ever going to get to town to get that pizza. I felt bad for Matt, whose eyes grew wide as I stood on the trail and cried. But after a rest, where I ate some food (one of the things I forget to do most throughout the day) and rested my feet, we continued on, with only 3 miles left into town. Thunder began to roll, which encouraged me to pick up the pace just a little. We made it to the pizza place just as it began to pour. Instead of continuing on to the next shelter after full bellies, Matt persuaded me to stay in town for the night, considering how painful my feet had become and how distraught I was. I let him talk me into it, so we finished up, walked to the grocery store to resupply, and then stuck the thumb out to hitch to a nearby motel. Well if an 18-wheeler tractor trailer truck didn't pull over on the side of the road at a busy intersection to give us a ride. It was ridiculous. Man of about 30, a mouth full of rotting teeth and an accent that I could barely understand, we loaded our things into a compartment and climbed in. Matt sat on his unmade bed (gross!) while I bounced up and down on the passenger seat for a mere 2 miles. Nice! Always a good time.kick: my feet. crying. having a hard time motivating myself to continue.kiss: pizza, a sweet hitch, and a bed for the night.Much Love,Bow