27 Miles is the New Nero
This morning I woke up around 4am and rolled over. Then could hear the guys making coffee shortly after that. By just after 5am everyone was packed up and ready to go. We continued along dirt roads for a while. Then were on a nice dirt trail for a bit.
This upcoming sections is one of my favorites! I love the big oak trees and Spanish moss. It’s so beautiful. We walked in the dark for a while and eventually the sun came up. It was a beautiful morning, just a little cold.
Eventually we got off of the trail and were along a paved road for the rest of the morning. In this section of trail you have the option of walk the road into Balinger, a really small town with a convenience store and a community center. Hikers can fill up water at the community center which is a great resource.
We got breakfast there and I grabbed a couple drinks. Then we continued along shortly after that. It was only just after 9am and we were already about 11 miles into the day. Punisher mapped out an alternate route which shaved off a lot of mileage, enabling us to get to Kissimmee prairie preserve today instead of tomorrow. While I’m down here in Florida I have no intention of being a purist on the trail. This is the border to border calendar year triple crown. When I’m on the triple crown trails I’ll be pure. But on the Florida portion I’m really just trying to do one of the fastest possible routes. While still enjoying the trail and its community.
The border to border CYTC would be about 9,500 miles if you did every mile of the Florida trail as well as the maximum miles on the CDT. Which just doesn’t feel feasible while also enjoying myself to some extent. So any mileage I can shave off in this section will give me more time to accomplish the goal. While still keeping it around the 8,500 mile range. Even doing a lot of shortcuts down here, it’s still going to be around 8,500 miles. My 8,400 estimate is the maximum low ball mileage possible, truly.
That was wonderful news and meant we were once again well ahead of schedule. We only had 16 miles remaining from Balinger to get to Kissimmee prairie preserve for the night. It would be about 27-28 miles for the day and also would be a really early day. The campground there has laundry and showers, so it will feel like another one of our sicko “neros”.
Leaving there I felt good, but in the back of my head I was still worried about the hives. Putting hydrocortisone cream on at night and taking Benadryl helps a lot. But during the days they still have flared up the past couple days. I’ve gotten a lot of comments telling me to wear pants. Which I totally understand! But I don’t currently own pants! And we’re kind of in the middle of nowhere. The only pants I have are rain pants or heavier sleeping/warm layers. Both of which would not be comfortable or manageable for long days in this heat. I realize pants would probably help, but I’m just working with what I’ve got. Obviously if this persists I will try to find some somewhere. But I’m also just hoping that I can resolve this soon.
A lot of people have also been telling me to go to a doctor. But, once again, I’m on trail! Seeking medical attention is very time consuming. And with my insurance I can only be seen at an emergency room. And I know what a doctor will say. It’s likely contact dermatitis or something similar. At most they would prescribe some kind of a steroid or stronger topical. Which of course will be my next course of action if this persists for much longer. But I’m not there yet. All of that is time consuming and costly, and is going to be my last case scenario. Today we should be meeting up with Fresh Ground who is bringing me more hydrocortisone cream and a soothing topical salve. Which should help to protect the area during the day and hopefully enable further healing. That is my current plan and is the most practical considering the circumstances. The rash is not ideal, but it’s not concerning me to the point to seek emergency medical care. If I was in pain that would be one thing. But this is uncomfortable at most, and not preventing me from hiking.
Other people have suggest it is all kinds of issues. But it is very unlikely that this is stemming from some major medical issue, and is also probably not from a tick. Many people have suggested lone star, which is a bit wild. There aren’t ticks present around this portion of Florida from what we have seen. Maybe further north near the Suwannee. But trust me people, I’m also doing me research and managing this to the best of me ability while hiking 30 mile days. No one wants this to resolve more than I do.
Leaving the gas station we were walking on paved road for most of the remainder of the day. It was hot periodically with shade every now and then. And while I could see the hives get a bit more raised, they never got to a point where they were uncomfortable like last night. So that was good at least.
As we walked I listened to a podcast and did a few other things. I talked to my dad on the phone for a while. Time passed quickly as we walked along, getting close to camp. I was behind the guys a bit so I didn’t hear them talking to Fresh Ground on the phone. By the time I caught up they said he was en route and would be here soon! Which was a great surprise. He planned to come out and bring us lunch before he had to go back to feed the bubble further south.
When we got up to the start of the Kissimmee prairie preserve he passed us on the road. Then began getting set up at a picnic area up ahead. We caught up to him shortly after that and he was making burgers and fries.
Right before we got there though, a car pulled over and the lady inside asked if I was Peg Leg. She has been following along and just happened to stumble upon us! Her and her friend pulled over and offerer us some brownies! They looked delicious and that was really exciting. We talked with them for a bit before continuing on. Her name was Barbara and she was so nice. It’s awesome to meet people along the way who have been following my moment for so long.
What an incredible surprise for the day. Then we continued along just doing the road to meet up with Fresh Ground. Another lovely surprise! I knew he would be out either tonight or tomorrow. But didn’t expect to see him for lunch. He also brought me the salve and hydrocortisone. I applied both and it felt so good. The hives had come back and were a bit more raised. But were much less sore than yesterday.
Everyone ate and enjoyed. I had Gatorade and then a hot mocha. The burger was on a crispy bun and was delicious. I covered it in onions, tomato, mayo, mustard, and ketchup. Everything was so good. And by the time we were leaving my skin already felt better. I just needed something more than the hydrocortisone alone. And needed much more of that as well. I mostly ran out by yesterday evening and had been rationing what I had. That stuff goes quickly when you’re spreading it all over your thighs.
We enjoyed our time there with Fresh Ground and made plans for the days to come. He’s going to continue feeding the southern bubble and then come back to see us as he’s heading north. Soon he will be heading back up to support hikers on the Appalachian trail. He’s fundraising currently, if you want to donate to an amazing cause which helps to support hikers year round. His food and support keeps so many people on trail and is unbelievably helpful. Especially out in the early AT hiker bubble.
We left there around 2-2:30pm and said goodbye. Then continued on a dirt road heading further in to the Kissimmee prairie area. The sun was high in the sky and quite hot. And this section was very exposed. But for the first time I didn’t feel the sun impacting my skin. The other lotion was protecting the top layer more which made a big difference.
After a little while some clouds rolled in which helped a lot with the heat. Then we continued along toward camp. It was going to be a super early night! I’m excited to chill out and relax. Then be in my tent nice and early. While we walked the road we startled what could only possibly be a bob cat, right off the trail in the bushes. It meow-ed aggressively at us and then must have ran off. But sadly we never got to see us. That was such a surprising sound to hear though.
Not long after that we got into the park and near the office area. It was only 3:30pm and we’d made it about 27 miles for the day. What a lovely early day. Just before we got to the office a lady named Sandra had pulled over, offering us a ride. Which we had to decline. But she was so nice and told us there was trail magic, quarters, and tide pods waiting for us at the office area. She camps in the equestrian area and loves to help out hikers.
We got to the office right after they closed. But they stayed open late just for us! When we got there they said they were expecting us. And the two workers were incredibly nice. They gave us quarters, soap, tide pods, and little goody bags with snacks. What a treat. Then we started giving our information to book the tent site. When I gave my name the guy behind the desk immediately recognized me off of social media and said he had been following along for a while. That’s always such a trip still surprises me every time.
Once we sorted everything out we went to get set up for the night. The tent site was right by the bathrooms and laundry area. We got our tents up quickly and then just chilled out. I took an amazing hot shower. Then hand washed most of my stuff so we could do laundry. What a luxury and a great surprise for the day.
After that I just sat by the picnic table and chilled. I got my video for the day done and the audio recorded. Then relaxed and talked with the guys. At one point a guy came over to talk with us. He had driven by us earlier in a cool high clearance van. Apparently he’s been thinking about switching things up and doing a hike. So he picked our brains for a while. And by the end he we hooked. He wants to sell the thing or store it and start hiking right away. Maybe even on the AT for the Nobo bubble. That was such a cool thing to witness and get to provide information for. This life will change everything for you. It’s certainly changed me a whole lot. And sometimes all it takes is one conversation or a little push. He came back later on the evening to ask more questions about gear and stuff. Then said he might try to see us in a couple days to maybe walk for a bit and ask more questions. It’s pretty divine that he drove right by us on our way in.
The rest of the night was great. I charged stuff up and did nothing. We all just hung out and relaxed. Then by 7pm I was in my tent doing my stretching routine. I got my things put away and then got some writing done. Then I did some YouTube editing before calling it a night. We’re hopefully going to get a really early start tomorrow. Currently we’re only 23 miles from River Ranch. So we will get there and grab what we need. Then push on hopefully another 10 miles to find camping past the property line and roads.
And, on a very positive note, the hives have done great today. After I showered they were notably down. Way more than the last couple nights. Usually the end of the day is their worst. But tonight they actually look smaller and flat, like they are healing! They aren’t sore at all. I applied more of everything before bed. My hope is tomorrow morning they will be mostly all gone. Then another day or so of cream will have them in the rear view mirror!
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Comments 12
O good! Looks like you’re on the mend!
Where can we donate to Fresh Grounds?
I’m not on Facebook, but I think that Fresh Ground has Leapfrog Cafe where you can donate. I’m going to try to do it when I see my friend who has Facebook.
For those of us that are not on the usual social media sites, is there a way to donate to Fresh Grounds?
I’ve been following you for quite a while. I am so glad I’m not your mother, but on the other hand you are such an inspiration to everyone young and old. It’s such a shame that you did not hook up with Shriners hospital. People could sponsor some of your walking mileage that would be donated to Shriners hospital. Accomplishing two goals at once. How do we donate to fresh grounds?
Following your travails made me think of the song Poison Ivy by the Coasters. Your gonna need an ocean of calamine lotion. Keep on trucking Peg.
Yay for decreasing hives! Fantastic sunrise track shot! Such a pleasure to be witnessing your hike and encounters with your fans!
Right from the beginning of your hives, all that I did was pray for you and I’m continuing until you are all healed! Xoo
Still chuckling about, sicko “Nearo”… Maybe your new trail name
Why the apostrophe in “Mile’s”?
Sounds like the hives may be an allergic reaction. I have personal experience with allergic hives. If the hydrocortisone helps, but at a slow rate, then it may be effective to stockpile the prescription antihistamine. It looks like a little pill, circle shaped and dark blue. It works exponentially faster than hydrocortisone lotion. Just 1 or possibly 3 doses. If your insurance covers it, and if you have enough time one of these days, (and if you still have any hives) it may be cost effective to ask the doctor for a jar of prescription antihistamine
28 going on 50 after this nonsensical walk. Say goodbye to your young, healthy body.