Date: 2007-05-22
From: Charlottesville, VA

To: Charlottesville, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Another wonderful day of rest with friends. I think I would have dove into a deep depression had I been forced to lay in a motel room by myself for this recovery period.My foot is pretty sore to walk on, but it is the location the needle went in that hurts. I'm still icing and keeping it elevated. I feel really positive that this is going to make the remainder of my journey much more enjoyable.Today I got my pack out and I had purchased a dry sac for my sleeping bag and a large one to use as a pack liner instead of my holy trash compactor bag. I think everything is going to work great. I also planned out the next leg of my trip. I just don't know what time I'll get started (or exactly which day yet) so it's a little difficult to know how many miles to plan.It's all good though, usually the moment I step off, the "plan" disappears! LOLI will admit that it's very difficult to be sitting around all day. My mind wanders to things that I can not yet answer the questions to (like what I want to do with my life after this).My good friend Karen and I talked for a long time yesterday about it. She's been plagued with the same sort of restlessness, and it is only now that she has discovered what she wants to do, and she's (I think I'd better give a range here...LOL) Older than 40, younger than 55. haa haa haaShe told me she went through an analysis where it helped you see the patterns in the things that you have enjoyed doing in your life. I may have to check that out someday.I am extremely excited to give hiking alone a go though. The more I think about getting back out there, the more excited I get. I guess that's a really good thing, because I know many times, taking time off to heal turns into a hike ending experience. Not for me though. Rachael got more pics up, and I was looking through them. It's so incredible to have those images to be able to remember and reflect this journey. Some of those days seem like decades ago.Hiking the A.T., is unlike any other type of linear experience I've had. In life, there are "carry over" emotions and issues and tasks that connect your days for you. Out here, when I wake up in the morning, it seriously feels like I'm waking up for the first time and hiking a brand new day. I rarely have things following me from day to day (other than my own thoughts that is). It is because of this, looking at the pictures seems like I'm not even looking at myself on top of Charlie's Bunion or hiking down the icy trail of Clingman's Dome. It is nice to have things so simplified. Hiking everyday is very much about self-awareness, asking yourself where you hurt, do you need a break, is it time to eat, and it is almost entirely an internal dialogue with myself all day long. Afterall, the only thing that has any real control over how far or fast I hike each day is the amount of food I'm carrying and how long it will last. Granted, there's also that little voice in the back of your mind that reminds you that this path you're on does actually have an ending, but still, it doesn't feel real yet to me.I want to wish my SOBO friend, Angel, a safe journey! He's due to hit the trail on June 1, so I'll see you somewhere when we pass each other! I don't think I've mentioned this, but Sailor decided to end his hike for this year. I don't know why or exactly where he got off, but the trail is a little sadder now. I've met so many great people that if given the chance, I'd love to gather them all up and have a long day of talking at some coffee house somewhere. I know this isn't my usual 10 pages of length, but I kind of figured no one would find it terribly exciting if I described doing my laundry here at my friends' house, so I thought I'd skip those details. LOLAs of now, if I can't find another ride from someone who is just passing through, it looks like my friend Cindy will be making the long drive back to Damascus on probably Saturday. I wanted to try to find another way to prevent her from having to spend an entire day driving 8 hrs, but we'll see what happens. I've got a request for a ride up on Whiteblaze, and we'll see if anyone bites. Being non-active all day sure does a number with homesickness. I really miss Rachael and my kitties. Gotta get back on that trail and start northbound again.~Certain