I made it to the Georgia/North Carolina border in the rain, one state down 13 to go!
About Noon I made it to Muskrat Creek Shelter to dry off and have some lunch. The Brits were already there preparing for their daily mid day nap. Bob and Jeff showed up while I was getting water and were headed to meet a man to take them home. We said goodbye for at least the third time. Out here you never know for certain that you will see someone again.
All morning in the rain my knees had really been bothering me. The knee braces and meds weren't working. On the wall of the shelter was an area map showing "blue blazed trail" (not official AT trail) that would take me to a highway. I decided that with my knees hurting so badly I'm going to try giving them a full day of rest and I headed towards the "Chunky Gal Trail"
With a name like that I figured it had to be easy. Was I ever wrong!!! I thought it was about 3 miles and it had to be at least 8 up and down and up. It was by far the hardest trail I have ever been on. I slipped and fell, I climbed over trees above my waist, I ripped my rain pants.
When I made it to the road I got a ride from a couple in an suv and their dog. The dog was a rescue dog and was very sweet, she put her head on my shoulder. They drove me to town and then around town to find a place to stay. I found a perfect motel with a $30 a night hiker special.
I went to the grocery store down the street and bought barbecue chips, tortilla chips, an apple, soft pretzels, powdered donuts, milk, beer, soda, a can of cheese, burritos and a pizza lunchable. I'm pretty sure I ate almost all of it last night, it was all delicious.
I'm going to stay here again tonight, spending all day resting and icing my knees and then hopefully get back on the trail tomorrow.
1 comment:
Hello Shaun,
You just can’t take one day to heal a sprained knee. Maybe three days of ice and hot baths might get you up and running again. I would hate to see your journey end so soon because of injury. Take a little time and heal before you set off. I know you want to push on but think about this rationally. Heal a bit first! Watch some old stupid movies on the hotel TV and rest up. This will put you behind schedule but will pay off in the end. (Plus you can eat a bunch of food and bulk up before you hit the trail again). Sometimes knowing when to stop is better than knowing when to push the limit. Relax and eat heal and give us a photo from Tennessee.
mb
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