Tales From The Travels

It's only natural to try and keep your feet dry when the trail is wet. You'll jump from side to side and find stones to step on. Inevitably, you either slip off the stone or find a pond so large there's no way around it and you end up with wet feet. I met a guy who called it the freedom step. You're now free to just walk up the trail with no concerns about the water. You can only get so wet.  I have long embraced the idea of the freedom step. Trying to keep your feet dry when the trail is wet is hard work and slows you down. It's also almost always a waste of time. You're walking on a wet trail, your feet are going to get wet. Just do it and get it over with.  This past week saw a big rainstorm on Tuesday. I had already taken four days off and was chomping at the bit to get back on trail. But, it was quite a storm. I kept checking the weather in the hopes it would clear and maybe I could get going after lunch. Nope. It actually kept going well into Wednesday. Sh...

The AT is 101 miles long through the Shenandoah NP and it has been a treat. Mostly gentle trails, spectacular views, hiker friendly community, and even camp stores along the way to stop at and get a snack (or more). Sherry did trail magic a couple times and even hiked the trail with me for a bit. We stopped at a diner and had a blackberry milkshake (yummy!) and the hikers all wanted to talk to her. Once again, I was hanging out with the cool chick. Unfortunately, I also suffered a set-back. I have fibromyalgia, a condition resulting from inflammation of the nerves.  Normally, I can just deal with it. But, the effort and long days of hiking have taken their toll and I had a big flare-up this week. I called Sherry and she rescued me at the trailhead and I'm taking several days off to recover. I'll get back on the trail and finish the stretch to Harpers Ferry, WV this week.  Still, I achieved, and almost achieved, a couple milestones. I went over 500 miles on this hike and will g...