Mind against Body

• (Despair and hope when the ankle becomes the boss)

February 24-25

After getting rid of some gear and while refilling my bear barrel, I met Bill on the porch at va Mountain Crossings. He is a veteran hiker and seems to know all the tricks. He gave me some tips on how to pack my bag and worked on my straps to get a better fit. It helped tremendously. 

Sadly, even with these changes, my ankle continued acting more and more along the road. Fortunately, since the day started late, my goal was not ambitious : I just wanted to get to Whitley shelter, which seemed to be a short 5–mile walk. Actually, the SIGN for the shelter was 5 miles away… and the shelter was another 1.2 mile going up! I didn’t regret the climb because the sight from up there was breathtaking.

I still arrived by daylight (barely) and discovered a charming shelter that I had all for myself for the night. And the next.

Thankfully this place had the amenities for a wounded hiker… so I called it my temporary home.

February 26

That morning, I felt totally rejuvenated! No pain at all! I went down the hill to thank my miraculous stream (and refill my bottles) and started my day.

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Again my ambition seemed reasonable: I just had to cover 5 miles to get to Low Gap shelter. Unfortunately, as its name suggests, you gotta go down a bit to get there. At the end of the day, I was limping again. 

Lo Gap is really pretty, though, with its little meandering stream decorated by little plants, and I met some nice and interesting people.

I also prepared my first edible meal on the trail! 

February 27

I just needed to go 7 miles to get to Blue Mountain shelter. As usual, I stopped all the time to take pictures and catch my breath. I saw a weird bird and a giraffe in the trees! My ankle was very painful.

I met a good amount of new, faster people that day, and finally there were some women! Good discussions were held, and as always we were in our sleeping bags at a ridiculously early time. 

February 28

 I woke up nostalgic that day. I was thinking that it could be my last sunrise on the trail, that my ankle would win after all. My shelter neighbor, Lucky Charms, helped me dissipate the clouds a little bit. I was going down 2.5 miles to the parking lot to get picked by Dana from the Green Dragon for a few zero days to evaluate the situation. Surprisingly, 5 other people also took the ride to the hostel or the grocery store in Hiawassee.

I decided to play the game until I would know for sure I was out: I made a copious resupply at the store, cleaned my dishes and bags, had dinner with the group at a brewery downtown. When we were there, I saw a guy who was with me on the first shelter and heard of others who were also there that night. It fascinates me how we are so many people in such a huge space, all going our own little pace, and still we find a way to bump into each other! It must be due to the fact that we all trust the same source of information ( FarOut).

March 1

Today I am heading to the ER. I will have breakfast with the group, say « happy trails! » to those who continue, and Dana or Bill will bring me downtown. I am panicking. In a few hours my dream might be erased and I don’t have a plan B.

Here came the verdict: shin splints (overuse injury). The ER doctor recommended 5 to 7 days of rest, elevation, compression and ice/warm treatment. If it comes back, I will have a really hard decision to take.

I just can’t afford to stay in an hostel that long. Maybe I could find an extended stay motel in the Franklin area? If I lose 5-7 days at 9miles/ day, hopping 60 miles ahead would keep me up with my schedule.

After considering all my options, I realized that the hostel was still the most affordable and enjoyable solution. This allows me to stay in the hiker world, at a reasonable distance from town to get food and anything I may need. Additionally, shuttles to town or the trail are free, the owners of the hostel are nice, friendly and enjoyable people, breakfasts are free and great and bookshelves are filled with quality books. What else can I ask for?

What about a supportive partner! Gracious as usual, Michael offered to help me cover the hostel fees. I got the best hubby! 🥰

So the plan is to stay 6 days doing nothing more than resting my leg, then test it on a 6-mile slack-packing hike (meaning without a major load on my back, just lunch and water for the day). If the leg can take it, Bill or one of his friends will shuffle me to Franklin, NC where I will continue my adventure. Stay put, cross your fingers, pray if you can! I need all your positive vibes!!!!