(side note: this hotel's computer is on dialup and using IE6. Lord help me).
We were dropped off by the shuttle at Winding Stair Gap around 10am. The shuttle was smack full of hikers; one person in each available seat with a pack in each lap (and some hikers standing in the aisle). Easy to get in, hard to get out. Saw that the Sapphire motel (hotel, holiday inn) had a swimming pool - could have used that to fix my air mattress which is still very leaky!
Several folks are slackpacking this section and staying a hostel run by Wiggy. We are not.
Pretty nice day but slow going. Lots of uphill and I am tired. I didn't sleep well last night; being in town brings out the night owl in me. We had really nice trail magic by a dude named Fresh Ground. Hot dogs, chicken soup, hot chocolate, trail mix, gatorade, etc. Ate two hot dogs and laid in the sun. Then set off again. The hot dogs did not help my trail speed. My pack weighed in at 38 lbs. Too much food.
OWL left me in the dust, as usual. Everything hurts...pretty sure I have tendenitis in both knees (hurts going downhill) and my outer right knee is panging pretty bad. OWL is always pushing for more miles and I am struggling to stay with her. Whenever I see other hikers they tell me how long it's been since OWL passed them. Kind of funny, actually. But kind of not. I am worn out and had a little sobbing fit on top of a mountain. I'm sick of playing catch up. Just have to hike my own hike.
Probably the toughest day so far, emotionally.
No comments:
Post a Comment