Date: 2010-05-06
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Bland 
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: few clouds

Day 61Last night Kashmir, Groler Bear and I decided we would share a motel room when we got to Bland and possibly take a zero day tomorrow. I need it both physically and mentally. I was looking forward to Bland but it was 11.7 miles away and I would have to walk there. So I got on my way after a hot breakfast of oatmeal and a trip to the privy platform (no walls, no roof, no joke. Check out the pic on this day on my web album).The day started with an uphill. I popped some vitamn-I but I still felt my shin twinging with every step. Luckily the downhill side was fairly gentle. When I reached the first gravel road at 4.8 miles two section hikers who has stayed at the shelter last night was still there so I felt my pace wasn't as bad as I feared. They were young kids who had just graduates from a college in Colorada. Nice guys. They hiked on, as did I after a 10 minute break. The profile map showed a bunch of small hills and a couple short but steep grades over the remaining 7 miles. I didn't want a repeat of yesterday's snails pace so I popped some more vitamin I and broke out the Big Medicine - the MP3 PLAYER. I don't like playing music when I hike because it takes me out of the scene, but that's exactly what I wanted today. Pull all my senses inward and concentrate solely on breathing and walking. Just block the pain and start motoring up the trail. Which is what I did. I was doing over 3 MPH up that hill and before long I was flying past the first kid. The 2nd kid I only caught 2 miles later because he had stopped to wait for his friend. At first I was confused because he was waiting at the intersection with the Trail Boss Trail which was supposed to be another 3 miles away. This was just the first of the screwed up mileages for the day. When the slower kid showed up we all took off again. The music powered me on and the miles clicked away. Eventually I made it to the next gravel road and the powerlines where the fast kid was waiting. He said Groler had just passed so I kept going hoping to catch him. HWY 52 was suppposed to be 1.5 miles but it turned out to be closer to only a half mile. A pleasure, but I saw grolar continuing on past the road crossing and following the AT northward across the road that took the AT over the I interstate. I yelled for him to come back but he thought I was just trying to beat him to town. I got a hitch into town pretty quickly and the guy drove me straight to the location of my choice - Dairy Queen. I passed Kashmir crossing the interstate about 200 yards short of the Queen. I yelled that I beat his sorry butt into town. We met up at the Queen and I ordered a banana split because I really needed potassium from the banana. We then checked into the motel where Grolar eventually showed up. There was no laundry here so I washed my clothes in the tub by soaping them up and then walking on them like you do grapes to make wine. I then strung a clothesline at the end of the parking lot to dry them. Thruhkers came out of the woodwork to hang their clothes as well. The rest of the day was spent eating again and chatting with others thrus and motel guests. Its always fun to tell people what we are doing and to see their reactions. Tomorrow is a zero day. I hope it helps my shin. I hope I haven't walked myself into a stress fracture. We will see what we will see.Good night and sweet dreams to all of you out there not living the Banana Split for a Shin Splint Dream.