500-732 miles – The hike

After leaving Damascus, we still had to deal with a lot of damage from Hurricane Helene. So the ATC officials planned a detour/detour that we had to take. Luckily for me, my day was filled with butterflies and blue skies! Nature was also beginning to show signs of spring, with lots of greenery and early flower buds. It was a nice change of course from the downed trees and destruction everywhere.

500 miles later we began our hike through Grayson Highlands State Park. Looking for the mile marker is always a big deal, but on this particular day we were also looking for wild ponies! The terrain was a little rougher than I expected, but there were vast fields stretching as far as the eye could see. Although I didn’t see any ponies wandering or grazing, there was plenty of evidence that they were in the area, aka…poop! It wasn’t until the next day, as I was leaving the park, that I ran into some stray dogs. It was very cool to say the least.

On Wednesday 4/15 we had the great pleasure of sharing the birthday celebrations of our dear friend and Traily member, Papi, who just turned 25 years old! As luck would have it, during a break to collect water at a shelter, I came across several beers hidden in the stream. They were cold enough to save for later that night, so I wrapped them in my puffy bag and continued on my way. Later in the evening we would stay at the Partnership Shelter at mile marker 534. It was a great place to spend the night because it was close to the highway and get this… there was a local pizza place that would deliver to our place! So after walking 30 kilometers that day, we celebrated Papi with a hot pizza and some cold beers, good times for everyone.

Marion

Marion was a great little trail town. Along the way, we came across a historic area of ​​town, with an old working farm, barn, houses, and a school. To our surprise that day, we were lucky enough to come across some magical trails provided to hikers through the historical society that oversees the school. Inside, many delicacies, snacks and drinks, etc. were waiting for us. We all enjoyed a nice rest on the cool grass as we sat in the sun and relaxed a bit for our trip into town. We didn’t have to wait long before they loaded us into a van and headed down Route 11 towards the center of town.

Unfortunately for me, I had still been dealing with some foot issues (nothing was getting better) and as I was nearing the end of the life of my shoes, I was looking forward to a new pair once we got settled in the city and visited the local suppliers. I also desperately needed a new backpack, as the straps I had tried to fix several hundred miles ago were coming loose again, along with a few others, so… I needed a new pair of shoes and a new backpack. Oh joy!

That night, after everyone settled in, we celebrated Papi again with a giant birthday cake from the local supermarket. We were also lucky enough to splurge on a home-cooked meal, pasta and meat sauce, salad and all. It was a great time, we even got to watch a movie on Netflix, one of my favorites from the 80s, “Weird Science”. It was wonderful! We all enjoyed ourselves, were full and happy and slept well at the Merry-Inn.

The following week was also very hectic. We received trail magic from our good friend, Hiccup’s companion, Conner. He made a several hour trip to provide us with Jersey Mikes substitutes and we even got to meet his dog Pickles. And since we knew where the magic of the trail would be and that we would have a ride, we experienced our first real «light packing» adventure (it’s when you hike without your packs/someone meets you at the end with them). It was so much easier without all the extra weight on my back.

We also had to cross a river! While some of us went barefoot, others opted to wear our camp shoes, and still others decided they would take their chances and try to cross the river on the few exposed rocks there. I chose the latter to save time, but I didn’t succeed, I got my feet wet and had to walk the rest of the way in soaked socks and shoes, a shame. Luckily for me, we shortened the walk and I didn’t have to go far.

The next few days found us crossing local roads and local establishments. Many times you come across these small buildings in the middle of nowhere, but they are good enough to take a break and have something to eat. While one day we were able to grab a hot breakfast, the next day we were able to go to a local grocery store for a hot lunch. Whenever you can get a ride or anytime there’s a chance to eat something other than trail food (top ramen and Oreo’s), do it. Eating the same packaged food over and over again gets a little monotonous, especially when you walk 15 to 20 miles a day every day. Even if the food in the supermarket is not good, you accept it.

For the next few days, even with a new pair of shoes, my feet were killing me. It hurt a lot to walk, I was limited in where I could step, and I still had a slight limp. My toenails started falling off (up to 5 in total), blisters would burst and then form again, and the bottoms of my feet were a mess. Otherwise I was doing well, but my feet were causing me distress and what was once pleasant was no longer a huge headache. After several stays in hostels and taking a closer look at my feet, I decided I had to get off the trail. My feet weren’t going to get better at this rate, I was just perpetuating the problem. As difficult as it was to make the decision, I knew that after 732 miles I had done my best (and then some). It’s a miracle to have made it this far, having started with boots and in poor condition. I endured most of the pain on a daily basis, but my feet were ultimately my main concern, I simply couldn’t continue in these conditions.

So…here I am, at home. Since then I went to my family’s podiatrist and had all my foot problems taken care of. My feet are slowly recovering, but the doctor said to wait at least 4-6 weeks for a full recovery. I have a lot of “homework” to do every day, besides keeping my feet clean and dry. It’s a bummer, but at least I got to experience the AT firsthand and I know in my heart that I did the best I could.

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