After the Baseball For All camp I started experiencing a fair amount of pain on the trail. My feet hurt, my ankles hurt, my legs hurt, and my right Achilles tendon really, really hurt. I cut my mileage down, which was quite pleasant. When only hiking ten miles a day, I got to sleep late and take my time in the morning. I smelled every metaphoric rose, and ate LOTS of blueberries. Rolling into camp at two in the afternoon meant lots of time forreading, napping, and shooting the breeze with other hikers as they arrived.
It was pleasant, but a little lonely. I never saw the same faces two nights in a rowm there are some folks I’d like to have known better, like RawIndy, who may be the first Amish woman ever to hike the trail, but I simply couldn’t keep up and also take care of myself. In the end, it also wasn’t enough. Even with reduced mileage, ibuprofen, lots of stretching, and soaking my foot in every cold spring available, my hiker hobble wasn’t improving.
I needed to be able to walk and run for the upcoming baseball tournament I agreed to work (the USA Baseball Womens Internationaal Friendship Series) and for that I needed time off. At the same time, I was already on track to finish much later than anticipated. I’ve spent much more money than anticipated. The hike was starting to seem really daunting, and I was afraid if I got off the trail I wouldn’t be able to finish before Katahdin closes for the season in mid-October, or earlier if bad weather sets in unseasonably.
I had a few teary, panicky conversations with my parents and Tim, and ultimately did what I needed to do. I called my friend Abby and arranged for her to pick me up. I spent about five days at her house in Waitsfield, VT as I rested up and started gimping around a lot less. Then I took a bus to Boston, stayed overnight with my friend Jerimy, and boarded a plane for Cary, NC, where I worked the tournament.
Getting off proved wise, although it’s hard to see friends update Facebook announcing they’ve finished the Whites, entered Maine, or even summited Katahdin. Right now I’m on a train to Rutland, VT. Tomorrow I’ll pick up my mail and send home a few things, take a bus to a smaller town, buy groceries, and hitch back to the trail. Ice cream might be involved as well. Getting on and off the trail is, quite frankly, a pain in the ass (THREE DAYS from NC to trail!) and I’m glad this is the last time I’ll do it. Next time I leave the AT, it’ll be because there’s no more to hike. Like the Spartans, I intend to come home with my shield, or on it.
A Very Long Walk 