Start: RPH Shelter, NY
We woke up today to beautiful weather. Unfortunately, within seconds of putting my boots on, I knew my feet wouldn't be as cooperative with our plans as the weather. My pinky toe blisters are horrific. Who knew that such a little body part can cause such agonizing pain?!?!
We left camp at 9:30 and started our day. Right away, we started with about a 900 foot climb. I'm not a big fan of climbs first thing in the morning, but something tells me I have to get used to it as we enter New England. We made it just over 5 miles in 2 hours to Stormville, NY. At the road crossing we saw a sign, "Deli .4 -->" Of course we took the .8 mile total detour to eat lunch. I really should start eating the food I've been carrying around, but the temptation from all the NY Deli stops is too hard for me to walk away from. Brian told me I was very philosophical at lunch while I shared my thoughts from the morning with him. A thru hiker from last year that I've been emailing for a while told me just before we left that "It is important to remember even on the bad days, that you will miss the trail when it's all over." Thanks Hover because that advice played through my mind today as my feet were aching. It helped me to not focus on the pain, but to appreciate the beauty around me. JB (our trail friend we met at the Doyle) also told us some great advice. When he was thru hiking 5 years ago, he was climbing a mountain down south. A 9 time thru hiker, Baltimore Jack passed him on this climb and told him "Don't worry. This is the hardest climb on the trail.". JB said that really helped him because when he finished the climb, he felt that if that climb is the hardest climb on the trail, and he completed it, he could complete any climb. Thinking about this today, I realized that the climb I'm climbing is always the most difficult climb on the trail while I'm climbing it, but each climb I conquer makes me feel stronger. After our philosophical lunch, we set out for 7.2 miles to Poughquag (NY 55). Originally, we were headed to Telephone Pioneers Shelter which is another 4.5 miles beyond that, but I was able to convince Brian to stay in a motel in Pougquag for a few reasons. 1. My feet hurt. 2. My back hurt for the first time this trip. 3. We SMELLED BAD and a shower and laundry for us would do the world a lot of good. And 4. We will still arrive in Kent, CT on Tuesday, which is what we are aiming for.
Laying in the hotel after a shower, laundry, pizza, and the bachelorette finale, I feel almost human again. If only these blisters would go away. I'm looking forward to new boots in Kent.
End: NY 55, Poughquag, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Ok you guys. You're at the point where it's easy to think "Screw this, I can be home enjoying the rest of my vacation", while you toil away those hard miles in pain. Think of h ow much you wanted to do this and all the effort you put into it. Th ehike is beginning to play head games with you. This shall also pass if y ou don't let it consume you. Stop thinking about miles now. Enjoy your days and just accept the idea that y ou might not get to Katadin in time. Make sure you enjoy the white mountains. They are beautiful, challenging and worth the time.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, Mr Wenk ......keep your spirits up.