Date: 2006-03-28
From: Winding Stair Gap (Franklin NC)

To: Wayah Bald
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Back in the 1950's, or early 1960's, when the Surgeon General of the U.S. was trying to prove a link between cigarettes and lung cancer, the tobacco companies were advocating the concept of a "smoker¢s personality." Supposedly, according to the tobacco company, a certain type of person tended to smoke cigarettes and also (coincidentally) tended to contract lung cancer. The two (smoking and cancer) were unrelated, according to the tobacco companies. They were both merely symptoms, or attributes, of the smoker¢s personality.Hogwash, of course.But now I'm beginning to wonder if there is a thruhiker's personality. If there is such a thing, I certainly do not have it. Maybe I have a section hiker's personality...Ron and all his shuttlers were busy this morning, so he called his uncle, Doug, to shuttle me to Wayah Bald.Between all the fumbling around and coordinating phone calls, I didn't leave until about 9:00, but by 9:45 I was at Wayah Bald and faced my first problem of the day.White blazes were clearly visible, but directional signs (north-south) were not. The cloud cover was low, thick as dense fog, and there was no way to see the sun to determine south. Even that might not have helped as the trail does not always run north-south.Doug pointed out the way he thought I should walk to get back to Winding Stair Gap, then drove off.That direction seemed intuitively wrong to me, but of course that meant nothing. I checked the elevation profile. The trail north dropped steadily down from 5300 feet to 4500 feet before rising again.The trail south, the one I wanted, dropped to about 5000 feet, then rose back to 5200 feet, then dropped down to 4200 feet, crossing a gravel road in the process.So I could tell within a mile if I was going wrong or not. Trail steadily downhill to 4500 feet, wrong direction. Trail down to 5000, then up to 5200, then back down, right direction.So I picked what I hoped was the right direction and headed that way. After 45 minutes, the trail rose a bit, then dropped. That was reassuring, but after another hour I was doubting again.Then Longshanks came walking up the trail. "Hey," he said. "I thought you were walking north."Ah, reassuring words. I explained about walking these ten miles south so as to go downhill and ease the workload on my chest.The trail went over a couple balds, looking like big meadows in the fog.Then, without warning, on a gradual uphill out of Wayah Gap, I felt a sharp, agonizing pain in my left calf. I wasn't going fast, wasn't taking long strides, or stepping over a big rock or anything. Just walking along, then YOWWWW!I could barely walk. I just couldn't believe it. I sat down, massaged the calf, and stood. My left leg supported my weight, but I could not raise up on my toes or anything or take a step with my left leg supporting my weight.I was about a half mile from the top of Siler Bald, so I just limped up to the top, hoping that it would be easier to walk downhill.It was. I could take a long stride stepping off with my right leg, but could only manage a five-six inch step off my left leg.In a limping-hopping motion I went down hill. As I went down, the weather turned warmer, and the fog started to disperse. The walking became easier, then the leg started to hurt again. I was beyond caring at this point. All I wanted to do was get back to the motel and cry.At about three o'clock, an hour or so later than my original guestimate to hike 10 miles downhill, I reached the road. Miracle of miracles, the second car stopped to give me a ride. I hobbled over to it, and the guy took so much pity on an old man who could barely walk that he drove me all the way to my hotel, even though he was driving straight through on US 64.At dinner tonight at Prime Sirloin Buffet, I spoke to a doctor and a nurse who were interested in my sickness, asking what had been prescribed to me, etc. The doctor seemed more interested in my calf strain than my chest issues.I went to bed early, discouraged.Will my leg get better? Was it a cramp? A charley horse? Is there a thruhiker's personality? Am I doomed to be unable to complete a thruhike?At this point, I almost don't care.