One foot in front of the other

I left Port Clinton with a new appreciation for the group. Some sections were difficult to navigate and have our nerves.

Rocks of Pennsylvania

We had officially hit the promised rocks of Pa. Some snake enthusiasts had shown us where copper heads were hidden. This did not help us at all with these rock sections. Our sense of security had disappeared, and we passed several of them along the way.

Bige in Bige and Perba del Horo del Horke

The edge of the knife and the oven oven knob were sections full of large rocks that required navigating. Unfortunately, I had been raining all morning and were slippery when we arrived.

He took a test and error, but finally discovered that a trekking post and a free hand worked better for me. Ranger fell once and Mash fell twice in this section. I managed to stay awake, but I really took the time. You only need a bad step to finish this trip.

We remember the always present possibility of injuries during sections like this. In general, we all walk at different speeds and meet for lunch and camp. For sections like this, we wait and address them together.

Palmeton climb

We continue to refer to this as the rise of Leigh Mountain, but in reality I do not see it on the Faraout list. I am not sure why this is much more challenging. We arrived there and the rocks were mostly dry after the rain from the previous day.

We were getting up and doing well. Around 1/3 of the road, some clouds rolled and began to see each other.

When it rains it is poured

Ranger was no longer sure of this section and considered doing the derivation trace. When the rain began seriously, he had reached an uncomfortable place where he did not feel comfortable moving. I was behind her and knew she would have the same problem. So, I found a different way and tried it; It worked for me and could move on, but I couldn’t come back. I passed and waited for Ranger to continue. She did it and I continued.

The rain threw themselves around us and slowly opened through the slippery and treacherous rocks. We were wetter than ever. I had to take my glasses because they were soaked and I couldn’t see. We had to shout to listen to us about the storm. In the midst of this nervous chaos, Ranger could be heard shouting its perfect description of the situation, «F!@#Ing Hell!». I suspect that the nearby city of Palmeton could listen to its booming exclamations on the slope of the mountain.

Slow and stable

Mash and Fresh stayed with us, but they moved quickly. Being lighter and agile benefited them, but they took paths in which I didn’t trust me.

Having had overweight my life influenced my decisions. I concentrated on balance, not to remain vertically, but on maintaining the weight of the pack that pushed me into the mountain. It is similar to how to fall on the stairs is better than falling down the stairs. I lost balance at a point and fell half inch.

The rain stopped at the time we finish the climb. Typical. In the upper part, we lie to the sun to dry. A storm flew just after this and soaked us again, but it was a very necessary break.

Pain awake

We continue through Pennsylvania walking on rocks for days. I think who designed the AT for this section confused a path for trial.

In Wind Gap, I started walking with a limp due to foot pain on the left foot. This worsened at night. My feet hurt badly enough not to want to eat after we stop and sit down.

Delaware water gap

We push Delaware Water Gap (DWG) where we take our first zero from Harpers Ferry. We ate in the bakery several times and we stayed at a hotel and in the church. I was grateful for the break since my flaccimus had not decreased.

The broken ass turtle (Bat) joined our group here. It had fallen behind the feet of the puppies of the equipment boots. We are happy to have it! It gives us all the new things to talk about and brings a new dynamic to the group. He also made that exit from Palmeton in the dark, so he’s a little crazy!

New Jersey

We left DWG. My foot hurt, but it was time to move on. I saw my first, second, third and fourth bear that first day! The land was still rocky but not as bad as Pa.

Dividing the party

Ranger and Mash are from Germany. They have a stricter timeline to finish the path than the rest of us. It was discussed that we would have to start walking consistent days of 20 miles for Ranger to end in time.

Ranger and Fresh left early to achieve this goal. Mash, Bat and I met throughout the day. I kept trying to keep up, but I was fighting while the lame was slowing down.

Ranger and Fresco stopped in a barbecue place and we met them. They put ahead shortly after we arrived.

It was predicted that it rained, so Mash, Bat, and I joined the salad salad and the good notes in a nearby tavern. The rain went and went and we decided that it would be prudent to spend time relaxing next to the lake before going.

Finally we moved and camped in Sunrise Mountain after a day of 17 miles. Fresh and Ranger had continued and reached 20 miles.

Unionville, NY

The next day, Mash Bat and I walked to Unionville, NY, where we camp in the city. Fresh and Ranger passed again to reach 20 miles. He was starting to feel that the tramilia could crumble since we had spent a couple of separated days.

I hurt my foot every day and knew I couldn’t push 20 miles on him.

Drive-in, limp

The next day, it was decided that we would all stay in a self -service theater and watch movies and camp there. The foot that I thought could mean the end of my trip hurts so much if I am not careful. I felt defeated while fighting for a 12 mile day in the city.

We were awake late watching movies along the way. While watching movies I tried stretching and massages on my foot, but I still struggled to walk.

In the morning, I limited the store for refueling. We were sitting in front of the store preparing our food, and a lady approached. He appeared as Tiktak’s mother. She recognized us from the photos when Tiktak walked with us and took us to the path.

Hitting heat

We decided to stop at a hot dogs and lunch before we left. Then we went to Creamery on the other side of the road, filled our water and saw what they had.
We had ice cream and we thought we would melt because it was very hot. Seeing a large tent, we decided to move here to sit in the shade and wait for heat.

Lost time is not lost time

It was glorious. This trip is incredible. In normal life, I never feel that I have time to enjoy it. I would never feel that spending a day of more than 90 degrees lying in rocks under a tent would be a well -spent day. However, while I lay with my tramilia, I realized how great this was.

Sheera approached and joined us after a while. Then, Truckstop, Tetris, Switch, Taco, Anaconda and finally the Riff Raff Rodó bubble. We all sit down and rest the day in the shadow.
It’s fun, I didn’t always see signs of Merodeo and I wondered who had time to merode. Now that I have done it, I can’t help asking myself: why have we chosen to live lives without time to lock?

Night walk

Finally we left and climbed the stairs to heaven. I planned to go to a shelter to only 5 miles and rest my foot that I was still suffering. The group wanted to walk at night.

I joined, but I regretted it and I wasn’t happy. He was sleepy from night in the cinema and could barely walk. I am happy for experience, but I would like the circumstances to be better.

Beat for heat

We finished New Jersey and entered New York the next morning. I moved very slowly due to my pain. It was very hot and the path took us to a rock walk on an exposed crest. The sun exhausted us all, and we decided to stop at Greenwood Lake in a motel, shower and wash clothes for the day.

A decision taken

We went to dinner and asked for ridiculously huge pizzas. It was here that I told the group that they would need to move on without me. As much as I did not want them to leave me behind, I knew I couldn’t heal if I kept trying to keep up.

It is interesting how things work. A couple of weeks ago I was ready to attack on my own. Then I learned to appreciate those around me, and now the circumstances have forced me to be alone.

My group is now ahead of me. I am not sure how long it will take to my foot healing, but I have to pay the attention you need.