All Downhill – Fox’s AT Thru Hike – Day 33

That. to. day.

I woke up this morning and my shin was better, not good, but better. As I packed my gear and made breakfast, it seemed like something that could happen. Jerz started packing his bags and we chatted. The plan was to wait and see, stopping at Boots Off if necessary. The flat miles seem to hurt the most and the uphill miles seem to hurt the least. My shin hurt but seemed fine until the Dennis Cove road. Every hour I would take at least ten minutes of rest and leave.

The hike from Dennis Cove to Laurel Falls is spectacular. If you are looking for a beautiful hike, I recommend hiking to the falls from Dennis Cove Road. In both directions I was passed by hikers of all ages. The falls themselves are worth the stairs. There are also stone stairs, many of them.

Laurel Falls. The guide advises swimming due to a dangerous whirlpool at the bottom.

Maybe it was those stairs. After Laurel Falls I started getting signs that my shin was NOT okay. The pain was spreading, increasing in intensity and becoming sharper. Kunjungi z3nins. At the time I was looking more for «what’s the next road junction» rather than «what’s the quickest way out of the road». The next place where the AT crosses the street would be Boots Off. I could have gotten out faster on the Laurel Falls trail. But the pain contributed to the tunnel vision and I wasn’t asking myself the right question.

Cool, narrow walk along the cliff after the falls.

Drawing on my training and experience, I evaluated myself. There were no signs or symptoms of tendon or ligament rupture. My main suspects were leg cramps, tendinitis, or tendon avulsions. According to some usability checks, the injury was intensely painful, but usable. My philosophy is that if I can go out, I do it. I won’t call emergency services when I can get out. I froze my leg in a stream for ten minutes. I then wrapped it with duct tape and took off the outer sock so it still fit in my shoe. With the maximum dose of acetaminophen and NSAIDs, it was time to grin and bear it for the next seven kilometers. I called the foxes to review plans, discuss secondary plans, and distract myself. Seven miles later I limped into Boots Off.

Fellow hikers Philly and Jerz deserve praise. They both checked me out. Philly stopped several times to see if he needed help and I suspect he may have waited at least once just to make sure I was still following him.

• Breakfast: oatmeal
• Lunch: none
• Dinner: ice cream, scrambled 12 eggs.
• Snacks: 18 Pudding Bites, Freeze Dried Skittles, 3 Ladoo, 2 Poha Snacks

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