Day 21: The Feet Become the Focus

Summary

May 16th

Eagles Nest Shelter to Windsor Furnace Shelter

NOBO mile #1223.5

Tolmann’s daily miles 14.7

Tolmann’s total miles 199.8

I’m tired. I walked up 2043 ft (total elevation gain), and down 2814 ft (total elevation loss) today. Not sure if that’s a personal record, but, with the way my body feels, it sure seems like it!!! 

Also, (drum roll, please) … I hit 200 miles around a mile before reaching the shelter!!!! (After refiguring my miles, it seems I didn’t hit 200 miles this day, would have to wait .2 miles into tomorrow!)

So let me get my complaining out of the way: my feet hurt. Maybe it’s the rocks. Maybe I’ve begun hiking faster.

There seems to be a formula. Any athletes out there who already get this can leave now, or laugh hysterically at my naiveté and/or my misconceptions.  

I spend an inordinate amount of time focused on my feet. The faster one walks, the more friction one applies to them. When one takes longer strides, it increases the friction. Friction causes hot spots, which leads to blisters. I started hiking taking small strides, but have started to stretch them out. 

Add in rocks. All kinds of rocks. Big rocks that need to be stepped up on. Rocks that look big and incredibly stable, that tip when you put all your weight on them. Medium size rocks with sloping surfaces. Wet slippery rocks. Then there are these things people call “sharks teeth”. Pointy triangular rocks of all sizes. They stick into the soles of ones boots/shoes. Feet are bruised, or develop hot spots as feet slide from side to side, or back to front. Bruised toenails. 

And add the weight of a pack into it, you accentuate the impact of every step. 

What can you control? Beyond choosing lighter things to put in the pack, it’s how quickly you try to move. Try to up your pace to make more miles, and you take it out on your feet. 

Miraculously, I am still blister free, but I’ve a number of toenails in pretty shades of purple.

Oh, yeah the day’s read out: 

Today’s section went through the town of Port Clinton, with a steep, long descent into the gap, and a less steep, though still long climb back out. 

Early in the day, I started to feel a pull in my right heel. Met a nice couple section hiking, and walked and talked with them a while. They shared some of there supplies with me at the end of their hike.  

When I reached Port Clinton, I did some soul searching before heading out of town on the trail, because the hike down into town did a number on my… wait for it… feet! Almost decided to break the hike into two days, but then just started climbing up and out of the Little Schuylkil (pronounced: skookle) River valley. It was a long afternoon, although it was only another 5 miles. Tilly and Hops and I leapfrogged a bit, and they ended up staying a mile short of the shelter.

At the shelter, ran in to Sleeves (Steve from Teahorse Hostel in Harper’s Ferry) and Bearbait. 

Crashed fairly early.