Date: 2015-06-06
From: High Rock parking area

To: Footbridge at PA 16
Miles today: 5.7

I woke up not feeling just the best. I was not sure how far I could hike today. I had hoped to cover 10.3 miles, but I did not want to over do it. Fortunately there were several road access points and we could break the trail into small manageable segments. So we started with the 2.8 miles between High Rock parking area and Pen Mar County Park. My husband drove to the end and hiked in to meet me. The weather was beautiful with no rain. But initially the trail was a packed jumble of large rocks and my progress was frustratingly slow.Shortly after starting I ran into an older gentleman who was hiking south, up the rock jumble, and had fallen, badly banging his left shin. OUCH! That had to hurt. He fell hard enough that he broke his metal hiking stick and bloodied his shin pretty good. Otherwise he claimed to be uninjured. He was hiking with a group, most of which was waiting for him along the trail. Since I am a Wilderness First Responder, I offered to lend a hand. The wounds had already been cleaned and some bandages had been applied. I briefly examined him and determined that he had likely only badly bruised his shin, but gave him options and suggestions regarding exit points off the AT and further treatment. With just a little effort he hopped up and planned to continue hiking with his group. For my assistance I was thanked profusely and offered Twizzlers.I was glad to stop and help. I have helped 3 or 4 other hikers along the AT with medical issues. Thankfully so far all the medical issues have been relatively minor.   I hope that remains the case.The rocks on the trail eventually thinned, and the trail smoothed out. I made better time, and easily made it to Pen Mar County Park, which I assume was so named because of its proximity to the PA MD border. It was a lovely well maintained park with a stunning view of the farms in the valley below.I decided to hike an additional 2.9 miles to the footbridge at PA 16, and then see how I felt. My husband hiked in with me to the Mason Dixon Line/PA border, a mere .3 miles. He then hiked back to the car and drove to the footbridge so he could again hike in to meet me.There was a steady climb of about 700 feet, which does not sound like much at all, especially compared to what I had experienced at the beginning of the AT and in the Smokies AND with a full pack. But it was clear I was still sick and struggling just a little bit. The barking seal like cough came on with a vengeance along with the shortness of breath.As much as I had hoped to complete about 10 miles today, I knew when I reached the footbridge at PA 16 I needed to stop for the day. The next road access point was about 4.5 miles, which was farther than I felt I could safely hike under the circumstances. As Clint Eastwood says, "a (wo)man needs to know (her) limitations."Overall it was still a good day on the AT. I successly completed Maryland today and started Pennsylvania. And I am STILL on the AT. So life is good.The AT is calling. I have mountains to climb and streams to cross. But I know I need to be realistic and patient, and take it slow and easy until the meds do their job and my lungs are better.