Day 28: If I don’t acknowledge it, maybe it’ll go away?

Summary
May 23rd

Kirkridge Shelter to Delaware Water Gap

(Church of the Mountain – Hiker Center and Hostel)

NOBO mile# 1293.6

Tolmann’s daily mileage 6.4

Tolmann’s total mileage 269.9

Good night last; the only excitement was the sound of little scurrying feet in the trail register box. It was my second night in a row in a shelter and my added accordion pad makes a big difference. Not even close to comfortable, but I can and do sleep. 
It’s so nice to wake to a clear and pleasant day! 

It didn’t take long to eat breakfast and pack up. On the trail by 7:30, it looked like I’d get to town by 10:30 or 11. And the difference in energy was like night and day. Of course, it is much different to think about hiking 7 miles than hiking 13 miles. 

I was able to power up the hills pretty well. At this point, though, I gave to admit to myself that which I have been expending a lot of energy to deny: I have some serious foot issues. 

I have a longish second toe on my left foot that for years has had a callus build up on the end, and on which I’ve lost the toenail while I was hiking the Bay Circuit Trail. While I’ve been on the AT, I’ve been swearing by using the Injinji toe sock liners as a way to avoid blisters. I discovered, though, that by hiking hard and fast, this longer toe would burn, but, when I checked it, it had no sign of a blister, and after a night off of it, I was good to go the next day. Then, the next day, usually in the afternoon, I’d feel it burn. The pattern repeated every day. But, the day before yesterday, I got the feeling that maybe the toe sock was constricting my toe, so I took the liner out. Yesterday, I left both liners off. Each of the days, I hiked hard and fast for at least part of the day, and yesterday, with the rain, my feet got wet, and I still hiked hard and fast. 

The result: what looks like a blister completely encompassing the end of my toe, as well as the toenail. 

Part of the problem, perhaps, is that my feet are spreading, growing larger, due to hours upon hours of walking, and due to the weight of my pack, and now my boots are too small. I’m going to visit the outfitter in town tomorrow and see if they carry size 14 anythings… I can’t ignore it anymore…

Anyway, the 6.9 miles from Kirkridge Shelter to the Gap were some of the better trail I’ve seen these past miles. Some mild up and down, a long stretch of fire road with my first views of the river, and a long down hill section through rhododendrons and smelling so indescribably good, like rich loam, mint, some kind of blossom, pepper, and, well, indescribable! 

There was a beautiful little waterfall on Eureka Creek; it was magical, feeling a little like someone or something was caring for it, “tended by their hands unseen”, as it were. 

But in the end, the trail keeps moving and changing, and in this case, came down into the streets of Delaware Water Gap. 

I came into the Hostel of the Church of the Mountain at a little before 11am, which was pretty filled up with a trail family (tramily) all the way up from Georgia, trying to decide whether to zero or not (it was pretty clear they had already decided to). And there was Meeko, more sincerely trying to make that decision. 

So it turned into a pleasant rest day, getting a chocolate eclair and coffee at the bakery, writing up the blogs, talking with Meeko, and wondering where Tilly and Hops were. 

They ended up showing about 4 in the afternoon, have taken two shorter days previously. 

The four of us went out to dinner together, and, as is fairly normal at this point, the conversation dove deep into life, love, spirituality… amazing how deep one can go so quickly, how really close I feel with these people. 

I may need to zero tomorrow to take care of this toe, and Tilly and Hops, and also Meeko, will be moving on. The future is in flux…