Date: 2004-07-07
From: Tagg Run Shelter

To: Boiling Springs Hiker Camp
Miles today: 0.0

The burn so bad, the pain obsceneI think I¢d kill for Vaseline.This feeling for which, I¢m not fondWhich begs Maximum Strength Gold Bond.My loins doth burns, I long to cryIt sears my buttocks and my thigh.It slowly seeps and seems to spreadIt¢s drying, cracking, itching, red.I walk like a duck that¢s insane,I¢m on a horse, I am John Wayne.For some relief my body begsI cannot even close my legs. I try to hike and to forgetBut it¢s worse with each bead of sweat.Even when I lie down in my tent I feel the tiniest movement I wish to straddle chunks of iceComparatively, death seems nice.Anything that might keep me safe From this dreadful unending chafe.        In case it is not obviously apparent from the poem above, today was not my most comfortable day on the trail. I am suffering from an unrelenting case of chafing. While painful, I have actually quite enjoyed my day. Tonight I am camped in Boiling Springs, PA, at a free campsite located on 50 yards from train tracks¢¦gulp.        My day began slowly. I awoke early, but sat in my shelter bunk writing for a few hours. As slivers of light slipped into the shelter I saw 2 familiar faces exposed by the breaking dawn: My friend Rally and her boy ¢T¢. I had assumed they were ahead, but apparently they were as successful in returning to the trail from the D.C. area as I was. I greeted them and we talked while I had the fine breakfast of a Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pie and Peanut Butter Crunch Sticks. For the first time in all the time I have been at a shelter on the trail, no one departed before 9 a.m. Myself, Rally, and ¢T¢ did not exit until 10:15. I love early starts!        As we started I felt energetic. The 3 of us joked and took pictures. ¢T¢ is a cool guy and I did not feel like a 3rd wheel. After 30 minutes Rally and I switched packs: My 12 pounds for her 30 pounds. Hmmm, which person in this swap is an idiot? Actually, it was nice to see what a pack with better support feels like. Still, I¢m happy with my green Go-Lite Gust pack¢¦it has spunk! As we walked we also played my beloved ¢name game¢. We pondered deep thoughts, and we discussed the trail. A quick example of a ¢Rally Deep Thought¢: If moths always flock toward lights at night, why don¢t they just stay out more in the day? Needless to say, the walk was enjoyable.        We crossed 5 roads in our first slow 8.3 miles. There were beautiful areas where the ¢green tunnel¢ of the A.T. was particularly evident. Through field areas we saw chicory, daisies, and countless other summer flowers. We were walking slowly and happily taking breaks. After a break 4 or 5 miles in the sky looked dark gray. We joked¢ ¢It¢s not going to rain¢. It passed us by. Our next trail section wound up and around through rocks and small boulders like a maze. It was a crazy little stretch, but fun as well. Soon, however, we were tiring. Rally did not start the trail at Springer Mountain, Georgia, but started ¢accidentally¢ in Erwin, Tennessee. Since she is going to return to Erwin and head sought to finish ¢T¢ and I gave her an in-depth tour of what to expect and where to go. I find writing my journals helps me immensely to remember details from months ago. This discussion led to ¢food talk¢; it seemed the shelter would never arrive in sight.         After talk of ¢Ostrich Burgers¢, chilli, salsa, jam, steak, stuffed French toast, omelets, double bacon cheese burgers, and more, we were all dripping saliva as we finally reached the shelter. Immediately we all cooked. I was so focused on my Dehydrated Roasted Garlic Chicken Pasta I forgot to sign in. The food was quite needed. At the shelter we joked with 4 section hikers who excitedly relayed the ¢what to expect¢ of Pennsylvania to us. I was missing their comments though as my upper legs began to announce the worsening of my chafe. I chose to not visit the privy as Rally scored it an 8.9 in smelly nastiness. I then felt drops of drizzle; I responded ¢It¢s not going to really rain.¢ It didn¢t. We left to cover the last 3.2 miles at 4:30 p.m. I was tired and in pain.        The last 3.2 involved my walking like a duck, but the terrain was mostly downhill until we entered corn fields for 2 miles. In this section I discussed a letter I wrote to a girl with Rally, and then we started discussing God. ¢T¢ was behind zoning out to the radio. What we really have seen is how little Christian influence there is on the trail and how challenging it is to stand up in your faith, with little accountability but much freedom all around you. At the same time there is a special opportunity to seek God out here and not have the distractions of home. I have prayed more than anytime in my life, but I also have no one around to check how I am doing. Though there are frustrations, God is awesome. Talking with Rally was and is a blessing and fills certain need I have for spiritual connection.         As we wrapped up this conversation we reached the road to the campsite. In the short walk we saw a tiny bunny, 2 groundhogs, and a lot of corn. The campsite is quaint, and free of charge, and right next to the train. This time it not only looked like rain, it was coming. We quickly set up our tents and headed into town.         Boiling Springs is adorable :-). We saw a man fly-fishing a pristine creek, a community pool with water-slide, and shade trees all around. Then we walked by a lake, canoes, swans, geese, and down Main Street. The street sat lined with cute historic houses and shops. Boiling Springs has character, and that character is lovely.         We all ate sandwiches and then headed to the Ice Cream Shop next to the Getty¢s Gas Station. My chafing became near unbearable. While they ordered ice cream I searched for Vaseline to no avail. I had a small bottled coke to distract me when Rally offered my some other petroleum ointment. I nearly cried in happiness. It began to pour but at least my burning would be relieved. We sat out the storm for an hour and a half and a sweet girl from the Ice Cream Shop gave us a ride most of the way to our campsite.         Tonight I am dropping asleep in a tent that is actually quite dry. The train just went by and my ears no longer work, but I will sleep none the less. Today I went through searing physical pain the likes of which I cannot describe. Still, I walked almost 12 miles, had a blast with friends, and had a great discussion about God. Tomorrow I need a shower and Gold Bond. If that works I will push on; if not, there is no way I will make it far. The next 14 miles are quite flat. We traverse numerous fields and cross under most of the major east-west roads and interstates in Pennsylvania. The train just went by again¢¦WOW! This should be a fun night¢s sleep¢¦so I¢m going to drop out while I can.Goodnight,BEATBOX   ttt