Breezy – Fox AT Thru Hike – Day 44

With the exception of the stretch two days ago from the Crawfish Trail to Walker Gap, the miles from Marion to here have been windy. Today the trend continued. I started with a short uphill climb and a gentle walk along the crest of a roller coaster. From there it was all downhill to Trent’s Grocer, a place I think can only be found in rural America.

Before I tell the rest of this, I want to provide some background. I don’t think it’s mentioned often, but something hurts every day here. In no way is this a complaint. But I possibly want to preempt the question of why I would walk on something that hurts. It has a little trick; Know what pains mean stopping or slowing down. If I stopped for every pain, it would simply never end.

Throughout the day my ankle improved. Leaving Trent’s Grocery, I felt great. “Improving walking” is one of my “it’s okay to move on” signals. I was planning to go to Dismal Creek. Sure it’s another 20, but my ankle felt good and the miles were easy.

Going off road along Dismal Creek was spectacular. Nice rhododendron tunnels with shade and a cool breeze from the creek. Unfortunately the campsite was not spectacular. I had no interest in camping next to fresh bear scat. Knowing that bears don’t like crowds, I decided to go to the Wapiti Shelter in hopes of finding more people. In those three miles, I sprained my bad ankle the wrong way. This is just what happens sometimes.

Well, there’s only one other person here, but at least I’m not wrapped in dyneema because of the bear.

• Breakfast: oatmeal
• Dinner: cous cous
• Snacks: sesame bars, cereal bar x2, poha, ice cream, clif bar
• We meet today: Tea Party (from Boston) and Four Score

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