Date: 2004-06-05
From: Howard Johnson Hotel - Daleville, VA

To: View Entry
Miles today: 16.1

Del has offered a lift to the post office and trailhead this morning. We're off to a later start than usual but we're planning only an 11.2 mile day. But the day doesn't begin well. Ursa Minor has been hiking with painful knees since she fell on them way back in Franklin, NC, before I hitched up with her. I've been feeling some pain in the tendons/ligaments around my left ankle bone. April Showers has been attempting to break in a new footwear system and been plagued with sore and blistery toes and feet. And this morning, to top it all off, she whipped her full pack on the bed to put it on and threw her back out. She was in great pain and Del and Ursa Minor told her not to attempt to carry a full pack. She was in enough pain, she agreed. After today's hike she affirmed she could not continue with a full pack for a while and might actually have her husband come to slackpack with us for a week or so.Del, bless him, has come through in true angel form and given us an opportunity to slackpack. Not being total fools, we accept and get a beautiful scenic drive 16 miles up the trail with our own personal tour guide. We started a north to south hike back to Daleville at noon. This should have been one of our best and easiest days. Unfortunately I started out with zilch in the energy account. I know I'm sleep deprived, waking up every two hours and being robbed of the necessary REM sleep. I was so drowsy I think I walked most of the day with my eyes half closed. Halfway through the hike my left ankle and leg started screaming. If this doesn't improve overnight I've got troubles.    April Showers' injury manifested itself at the day's end also, and Ursa Minor's knee pain is a constant. We are all a mess tonight.The 16 miles were way too much for such a late start but was made worse by our injuries. April Showers went straight to the Pizza Hut for a take-out; Ursa Minor and I at least stopped at the room first. Del was expecting us back by 5:00ish and hoped to take us into Roanoke for Ruby Tuesday salad bar. But we were way too beat and sore.The terrain was easy. We crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway three times. The views were marvelous at each junction. But the day was long, late, and painful. My evening ended well with a lengthy telephone call with my daughter. We haven't spoken for months and she's been out west, down south, across into Mexico, onward to Costa Rica, and now in Florida. She's entuned in Reiki and promised to do long-distance healing on all three of us every night. Being so tired and beat up, my emotions are way out of whack and I have spent a good deal of the evening in tears. More than anything else I want to complete this thru-hike. I've got so much riding on it and a whole community supporting me. I don't want to disappoint anyone, least of all myself. All three of us started in Georgia feeling so strong and so able. But then none of us truly anticipated the constant abuse and consequences of climbing and descending mountains six to eight hours a day for 730 miles. This is hard work, no doubt about it. But we shall persevere. There are many who have been forced to take a week or more off for healing. If worse comes to worse, I'll do that -- rejoin further on up the trail to assure my Katahdin summit by October 15th and then flip-flop to complete any miles I missed. As long as I walk the entire 2174.1 miles in one season, I will have completed the trail and will be a bonafide AT thru-hiker, Class of 2004.Let's see what tomorrow brings.