My feet hurteth. They hurteth as bad as a typical day in upper Pennsylvania, and for much the same reason… the 12 mile stretch we covered today had many ups and downs, all steep and rocky. My feet took a beating, and I am honestly not sure how long my boots will hold up.
Tomorrow will be a short day, only 8 miles or so, but since the AT wanders around like a drunkard along the NJ/NY border, part of the day will be in NY, and part will be in NJ. Hoping to get to Mass in Uniontown, NY, if at all possible. Monday I will do a nearo in Vernon, NJ, where there is both a boot outfitter and a very good and very cheap hostel. I will also resupply necessities such as food, ibuprofen, toilet paper, etc. If I can’t find a good boot at the outfitter, I’ll have a pair shipped from Zappos to my next zero in Fort Montgomery, but I would rather not do that. Not sure the current boots will last that long.
Ah, I hear Memorial Day fireworks from somewhere – probably Uniontown, it is only 2 miles away. Tonight we are staying at the “secret shelter”, a cabin on the farm of a former thruhiker. After four days of long hikes in 85+ degree weather, it did not faze me one bit that the shower was outdoors and had extremely hot water. Everyone was polite and we all stayed away when someone else was showering. We all stank. Really, really stank.
Speaking of the heat, I was close to being heatsick today – it hit 90. We were close enough to a shelter that I made it there, drank a ton of water, and lay down for 45 minutes in the shade. The sky became overcast, mercifully, and I was able to do the last five miles after all. But my feet still hurt.
Oh! Forgot to mention that I gave a mother and daughter hiking duo their official trail names! The mother became Brandy (she was the one with blackberry brandy yesterday), and the daughter is now Marvel, for her Captain America socks. I feel like a trail guru now!
I hike on.
TRAILS, TRIALS, AND TRAVAILS 