An update from the trail...

H:

First few days of hiking were great. Then some foot pain started. Blister hotspots developed but we squelched them and hiked on. Pain in feet came and went, we hiked on and callouses developed.  Thursday last, something was no longer right with my feet. We made it into Boiling Springs for a mail pickup and resupply. It was supposed to be a light day and we still put in 7 miles!

Out of Boiling Springs we HAD to hike to the next shelter to abide by the law. 14 mostly flat miles, shouldn't be too hard. It took us 9.5 hours.  My feet were cramping up, I also had a callous that was feeling pretty iffy and Dave was walking slow with some hotspots on his ankles. D is also dealing with poison ivy breakout on ankles and feet so skin is super sensitive.

The last mile was up hill and rocky. Halfway along I had to stop and check my heel. I'd had a lot of heel pain and thought this was a bruise but it turned out to be a blister forming under the callous! I patched it up and hobbled into the shelter. We set up our tarp and tent. I fixed soup after Dave fetched water. 7 other hikers crashed in and around the shelter and a troup of boy scouts took up the upper camping area. We took our tired and sore feet to "bed" on a level surface and wondered what tomorrow would bring.

We slept well but moved slow in the morning, our feet hurting in different ways. We started hiking at almost 10 A.M., pretty late start, but we pushed off hoping to get to Duncannon, PA, for a mail drop and rest and maybe new shoes. An hour into the morning's hike my shoes were causing my feet to cramp again. 7 miles to the next shelter seemed impossible, let alone the 11 to Duncannon! 

I gave up on my trail shoes and put on my camp shoes. Flimsy but atleast they didn't pinch. D switched too because his feet weren't able to dry out due to the waterproof fabric on our shoes and he was getting hotspots all over.

We slinked along, stopping often and resting our feet but walking better and enjoying the views. The last mile into the shelter was long and slow due to lots of rocks on the trail. Probably best just to rest up at the shelter and hobble into Duncannon Sunday afternoon.

Sid the Sloth was resting at the shelter when we got there. He'd passed us 30 minutes earlier with a quick "hello." We talked a bit and he left to hike the last 4 miles. It was Saturday night, he wanted a few beers in town and wanted to try to catch up with a couple other thru hikers. He figured it would take 1.5 hours for him to get to town.

We sat at the picnic table looking for a level surface to pitch our tarp. None were around and a notice mentioned that porcupines were around eating anything tainted with hiker sweat. We downed a Nutella filled wrap, 800mg of Motrin, all but the last of our water and topped it off with a handful of M&M's plus lemon girl scout cookies. Time to move on. It was 4:30, we had 4 miles, maybe we would make town by 8.  We made it by 6:55.

Somehow, despite the rocks and foot pain, the 30 minute break we took revived us and we hiked feeling good, the thin camp shoes couldn't absorb all the shock but stepping gently and skipping rocks had us practically flying compared to the last two days.  Our feet are sore but no more cramps for me and D's feet were drier than they had been. We were suddenly enjoying the hike again!

It's now Sunday and we are on the hunt for new shoes in a town 8 miles away. We are waiting on a ride from a local shuttle who charges to run you around.  

Tonight we are crashing for a second night at the Doyle Hotel. The Doyle was rebuilt in 1905. GOOD FOOD in the bar but the whole place is a little dingy and run down, but no bugs and the bed and sheets are clean and smell good! We could have slept with porcupines instead, but we're happy with our choice and full bellies.