A difficult day ahead
Some days in life are bad, stinky, rotten days. The days when you struggle to find motivation or enthusiasm. The days when your nervous system wages war. These days don’t happen to me often. It seems inexplicable at the time, but usually the trigger seems very obvious in retrospect. I have a recipe for days like this… I just left it at home. I need it so rarely that bringing it seemed unnecessary. But sitting there that morning, knowing that I had to find a way to muster up the energy to walk, it felt very necessary. Perhaps I was hoping that the cathartic act of walking step by step would calm my brain and ease the cloud of anxiety surrounding it. So I forced myself to eat some of the home-cooked food Donna prepared for all the hikers and got ready to get back on the trail.
Almost all the blogs so far have been full of awakening with excitement and excitement. Be grateful to be on the road and surrounded by the natural beauty it offers. It’s a strange experience to have a difficult day and at the same time experience all those positive emotions. I felt bad for Cody. I didn’t know how to explain what I felt or especially why I felt it. And I know you felt helpless to make it better. So we walked. In silence. Slowly. Let the path repair the unmendable. Even I was looking for answers.
Maybe it was the sleepless night. Maybe it was the creepy man with a flashlight burning in front of my bed all night. Maybe it was hearing him walk to the bathroom to vomit over and over again. Maybe Turkenna was missing. Or more likely, the anniversary of my mom’s death was approaching. Pain. It has a way of infiltrating. But even with all those reasons, mental health is not a formula. And some days are just hard, even on the road.
McAfee Knob
When we arrived at the Catawba Shelter for lunch, didn’t feel like eating. So he lay down in the shelter while Cody ate. My typical extroverted desire to socialize with the small group of hikers was empty. We continued up the mountain to McAfee Knob. I felt very guilty for stealing the joy of the moment, but especially from Cody. 
We sat on a rock a little away from the rest of the hikers sitting at the pommel. Cody supported me silently. We finally headed to the knob to take our own photos at this iconic AT location. It is arguably the most iconic spot on the trail. Cody showed off with an impressive heel click near the edge of the Knob!
Rattlesnake at McAfee Knob
Can you find the rattlesnake?
Just as we were about to leave, a hiker named Campfire screamed and the undeniable sound of a rattlesnake could be heard right next to him. We all ran to the trail to see him. About 15 feet away, a small group gathered to watch the snake as it wandered into the bushes. Campfire was definitely shaken from being scared by the snake, but luckily he and the snake were unharmed.
Tinker Cliffs and good news about Turk
Next on the trail was the last of the three triple crown features, Tinker Cliffs. I don’t know if it was because I was slowly getting into a better headspace or because the Tinker Cliffs are really impressive. 
But I thought the cliffs were by far the prettiest of the three. Cody and I sat there for a long time before heading to the shelter. Cody even stayed for a while talking on FaceTime with his mother. She informed him how well Turkenna was doing. She didn’t show any signs of pain and seemed to act like herself.
When he caught up with me at the shelter, he still didn’t feel like eating anything. We simply set up the tent away from the shelter. Partly because I wasn’t feeling very social and partly because we’re trying to avoid Norovirus, which had been popping up all along the way. I went to bed while he made himself something to eat from the Ursack. In the end, we walked 16.5 miles that day and there seemed to be some meditative benefit to immersing myself in nature and allowing nature to be the calm I needed that day. I was ready to call it a day and be in a better mood the next day.
The next day
Grateful to wake up in a much better state of mind, I was determined to clear away the fog and frustrations of the previous day and allow the day to bring us joy. Cody was relieved to see me in a better mood too. 
A good night’s sleep can do a lot for an exhausted mind. It was also a day close to o. Just 10 miles from Daleville meant we could be in town with a warm shower, hot food, clean clothes, and a dry bed. Since it had rained all night, we were eager to enjoy the luxuries of a night on the town.
As we walked closer to town, Cody showed me his legs where the poison ivy had spread. Between her thighs were the worst! His shorts were still stuck to the festering wounds. Then he would take a big step towards a rock and his shorts would tear away the poison ivy covered areas. It was hard. I know you were looking forward to getting better poisoned ice cream and taking a nice shower!
To add to the good vibes of the day, a hiker offered each of us a Honey Stinger energy waffle. And a previous hiker named Medic offered us a cup of chilled fruit! It’s the best tasting fruit cup I’ve ever had! And before we knew it, we were sitting on the highway in Daleville, VA. Shall we go to the post office first to pick up our package? Maybe go to a clothing store or grocery store? Or do we get a room in a hotel and eat first? We choose room and food.
Getting to Daleville
Checking in at the Spark Hotel was super easy and fast. However, we didn’t stay long enough to shower or start doing laundry. We simply left our bags in the room and walked across the parking lot to the Mexican restaurant. 
After all, it was Cinco de Mayo! It had been a few days since we saw our friend Billie Goat, so we were delighted to sit down and enjoy a nice meal with him!
Trail magic can happen in many different ways. At the end of our meal, Huckleberry from Huckleberry Hostel stopped by our table. «Would you like a ride anywhere in the city after you’ve finished eating?» Well of course we would! But my question is, «How did you know we were hikers?» Cody responded, «probably because of the smell.» You are not wrong.
Do housework
700+ mile shoes
What we expected to be an all-day affair only took about an hour. Huckleberry stopped by the post office and then took us to the clothing store. There Cody finally bought a new pair of shoes. His Topo Terraventures had lasted him 730 miles!! That’s tremendously impressive for any shoe! From there we walked to the store next door to pick up our resupply. But most importantly, we buy anything on the shelf that will help cure poison ivy.
When we got back to the hotel, we had the whole night to relax. I made the trip from our room to the laundry room several times in just my raincoat and rain skirt. An outfit that hikers know well when it’s laundry day!
Is Turk’s walk over?
Turkenna resting at grandmother’s house
Turkenna is still at her grandmother’s house, pampered and recovering. She has an appointment with our home vet after finishing her round of medications they sent her home on. We love taking photos of her cuddling on the couch and keeping Grandpa company on his walks. We hope you get the chance to follow us again, but we’re not holding our breath. Well we’ll just have to wait and see what the vet says. Is it a ligament problem or muscle pain? Will a few weeks of rest off the court be all he needs to get back on the court? We don’t know yet, but we do know that she seems to feel like herself and is happy to live a life of luxury until we find out.
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