Hot Springs, NC
GREAT DAY. This is the first day that I haven't had any pains after hiking all day. The bottom of my feet are a little sore, but that is expected.
I have had two major pains that have concerned me. The first have been my three middle toes on my left foot. The second has been my left knee. Here are my thoughts.
My left knee has woken me up because of the pain and stiffness. Cambria sent me a stretch to do. I did it this morning. I think it helped. I also took Aleve this morning. I am hoping that wasn't the cure as I do not want to have to take it. My right knee has had a little pain, but nothing like the left.
Second, my toes. For four weeks I have been trying to figure where and what has been causing pain in my middle three toes on my left foot. I first thought it was the second, longest, toe because the middle toe was being forced under it and jabbing into it. In the past I have cut my long toe because I didn't have my toe nails trimmed when I ran. I then thought it was coming from the end of the middle toe. I have taped them a dozen different ways. Every time I would roll forward from the ball of my feet to my toes they would hurt. So, pain on level and climbs. No pain on descents. When I would think and spread my toes there would be no pain. Even when they were taped and I couldn't really spread them. I have decided the pain hasn't come form the end of the toes, but from the bases of the toes, especially the middle one. Maybe in the ball of the foot. The pain is not a sharp pain, but more like a pressure pain. It slowed me down. This morning I tried another taping method. I put a cotton ball between the three toes. No pain today. There was some extra pressure in the toe box because of the toes being spread apart. Linda has said that I need a wider toe box. I think she is right. When I come home I will get some new shoes.
I am very excited to not have any pains. I was a little discouraged this morning after a zero day because I thought I would be fighting the same problems. I am excited to see what happens tomorrow without taking Aleve.
Fewer hikers today. I think many stayed in Hot Springs because of the forecast of rain. Sure enough, we got rain. It started about 1415 and went till 1830. Of course that is when I was looking for a camp. Here is a good story.
Once it started to rain I got out my rain gear. My plan was to camp at Paint Creek, which is .1 miles from Allen's Gap where the AT crosses a highway. It isn't a camp sight, but the next one is 5 miles and I didn't want to hike that far. I walked down the road. There was a home there. I knocked and was going to ask if I could pitch my tent. No one was home. I got some water from the creek and figured I would head down the trail and find a spot. As I came up the road I saw a store sign for Mom's. It looked all boarded up and closed. There was a big dump truck in the road. The road was closed because of a fire further down the road. As I walked toward the store the man in the truck told me the store was open. Remember it was raining hard. I went in and sure enough there were three old people sitting and visiting. I asked who was mom, and the one man said he was Mom's son She had died 3 years before. That was DeWayne. He also owned and ran a bar. His sister, Joyce, was there. She had taught kindergarten through 3rd grade for 35 years. It was a scene out of the Beverly Hill Billys. I had a couple microwave sandwiches for dinner. I didn't want to cook in the rain. One of the stories DeWayne was telling was how his wife had just tried to shoot in him while he was in the car with her. He barley got out. Another was how DUI fees had destroyed his bar business. The other man who had worked for Ford said the DUI fee use to be only $25 and couldn't believe what they did now with a conviction. I asked him if I could sleep on his floor. He said there was a good camping area in the back. I left my equipment at the store and put up my tent while it was raining. I got lucky. When I went back to get my equipment it stopped raining, and hasn't started up again. I know it will rain tonight, but at least I am dry and warm in my tent. Tomorrow morning is going to be packing everything wet. Tomorrow afternoon the sun is suppose to come out. I will dry it at the next camp sight.
By the way, I hug up all of my food as I do not want any rodents chewing holes in my tent. Not concerned with bears as I am next to a highway. I hope no locals come by. Stories are told of locals harassing hikers. I would hate to get up and find my food bag gone. The people here are very much the Dukes of Hazard types. Friendly, but not sure how law abiding.
Camping area at Allen Gap
Wood Peckers. I hear a lot of them
A common sign at many entry points of the AT
(Note for Mark - No horses, sorry)
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