Day 52
Pearisburg, VA to Pine Swamp Branch Shelter
Miles Hiked: 19.3
AT Milage: 656.3
Today we got a hitch from some other hikers going to the trail head. We got on trail about 9AM. My legs were feeling great after the rest! It was so humid outside I had sweat pouring off of me and my shirt was soaked within minutes. I smelled something weird like mayonnaise and I realized it was the nearby landfill. I thought I could see it through the trees and hear the sounds of dump trucks driving around. We had passed a few streams that said not to drink the water even if you both filter and treat it because it was coming from the landfill. I was disgusted. I hiked by myself all day because I can’t keep up with Flamingo, Cocoa, or Flip. They all hike really fast and when I try to stay with them, if I match footsteps I still fall behind because my stride is so much shorter. I was happy to be alone. I took two breaks, one to fill up water, and another to eat food and make a phone call. As I was eating lunch two other hikers passed me. This motivated me to hike my last 6 miles at 3mph because I really did not want to set up my tent. It is probably going to rain tonight and my tent is not good in the rain at all. I successfully secured a spot when I arrived at 4:30pm. The terrain was really rocky today and it tore up my rested feet very easily. I think I have plantar fasciitis and it sucks really bad. The best thing I can do for it is rest but that means quitting my hike. I think I will be dealing with this really bad foot pain all the way to Katahdin. It sucks, but almost no one walks 2,200 miles without going through a lot of pain for the majority of it.
Happy Trails!
Des Hikes Thru 