Start: Fayetteville, PA - Caledonia State Park
Our longest day so far!!! 16.2 miles! We woke up at 6:15 am, got a ride back to Caledonia Park and started our day at 8:15 am with a steep climb right out of the park. On our way up, we walked though rhododendrons that formed a tunnel over us... Beautiful! After 2.2 miles, we stopped at a spring just past Quarry Gap Shelter to get another liter of water each since it was going to be a hot day and the next water source was 5 miles away. The rest of the way to Birch Run Shelter was a mixture of flat ground and ups and downs. Sometimes we walked on small, sharp rocks, other times large rocks and sometimes even a bed of pine needles! On one of the downs, I felt a pain in my right knee cap. I didn't do anything to injure it and it came on suddenly so I'm not sure what it is. After 10 miles, we ate lunch at Birch Run Shelter. Brian had some trail mix and peanut butter and I had (you guessed it!) a fluffer-nutter tortilla. We relaxed for almost 2 hours to stay out of the heat. At 3 pm we left to finish the 6.3 miles to Toms Run Shelter where we are spending the night. Three miles before the shelter we saw the old half way point where someone used rocks to spell out 'HALF WAY.' Very cool! This year, the half way point is a half mile north of the shelter. We will pass it tomorrow morning. Part of the AT tradition is that hikers do the "Half Gallon Challenge" where they eat a half gallon of ice cream in under 1 hour. Brian and I aren't sure if we will attempt it tomorrow since we've only been on the trail 6 days. If we don't try it though, we will miss our chance since we will not be crossing Pine Grove Furnace State Park (where the challenge takes place) on a thru hike for a long time. We'll see what tomorrow brings when we get there.
My knee continued to hurt the rest of the day, especially on downhills. All of my other ailments are feeling much better so this is very frustrating to me. On a positive note, we are sleeping in our tent right next to a creek. I love the sound of running water!!
The trail leaves a lot of time for thinking. I realized today that even after only 6 days out here, I am appreciating the simple things. A cool breeze when it's hot, shade after a climb in the sun, cold, fresh water pumped from a spring, peanut butter, pine needles!!, showers, laundry (I HATED doing laundry a week ago!), and sleep!! The simple things can make all the difference... That's lesson #1 from the trail.
End: Toms Run Shelter
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
I enjoy reading all of the details you include each day. I feel as if I'm on the trail with you! Take care of your knee......you have many miles to go! N. Bryant
ReplyDeleteEasy on the knees. Take smaller steps when climbing and try not to step up onto big boulders. Walk around them. Don't step up more than 14 inches for a day or two. It also makes the climbing easier on the legs.
ReplyDelete