She Wears High Heels, I Wear Sneakers

Last night, I made the much smarter decision to go to bed with my buff wrapped around my eyes. That ended up being the greatest move I could’ve ever made for my quality of sleep — by the time I was conscious, everyone else was out of their bunks and headed down the trail. Smokey simply laughed when he saw me fighting for the motivation to sit up, saying “I can see how you got your name now,” and “You’ve become my favourite in the last five seconds.” Luckily, both he and Treehouse are my type of people, night owls. That’s why check out’s at 11, perfect for me.

I first quickly took a stop into town to deliver Dragonwing some permethrin, before calling Franklin, NC’s Outdoor 76. Their shoe experts told me waaaaayyy back that I could call them whenever if I had questions about shoes, and oh boy did I. At 260 miles in, I feel terrible for throwing out the Altra Timps that I got at Gatlinburg, but they look and feel like duds. I naturally overpronate, but even with that, shoes shouldn’t fall apart this quickly. The inside edge of both my soles have completely collapsed, exacerbating my issue. That’s probably why my feet and legs have felt so tired for the last five days, my ankles have been working overtime to not roll.

The advice was simple, either buy a new shoe, or try inserting a wedge to support the foot and make up for the collapsed insole. Since the Vibram tread itself wasn’t damaged, just the foam, I wanted to coax a little more life out of these shoes. I found some old soles in a hiker box, and created kind of a double insole for my shoe, with hopes that it’d stick.

I was also recommended to contact Altra and try to get a warranty on these, since they’re not even a month old. For my proof of purchase, I had to call the NOC at Gatlinburg, and they provided me with the last key I needed.

By this time, it was already 11:30. I was still at the Broken Fiddle, talking to Five Lives, Wing-It, and Marbles, and dreading leaving. But, I eventually found it in me to head out. Only after weighing my pack though — and whoah, even with water, it was way lighter! I think getting rid of the extra clothes and camp shoes helped a ton, along with just being a bit more judicious about what I packed. I’m still not as light as I want to be, but at least I’m getting there…

Stopped at Dairy King first for a quick chicken sandwich and fries while I was messing around with my shoes, before heading down the street to Wilson’s Cafe and Grill. Got a killer teriyaki chicken sandwich packed out, and spent some time calling my dad. He’s also on vacation, visiting his parents in Canada. It’s nice to be on the same timezone as a family member for once. The rest of my family lives on the West Coast, so even in froncountry life in Boston, I have a time difference to make up for.

Within five miles of setting out, I knew I did not make a smart choice trying to extend the life of the shoe. I was constantly thinking about the angles of my feet, and could quickly feel the pain and effort coming back. The problem was, it’s pretty hard to get back into Damascus. Of course, I could walk, but I was too stubborn. There’d normally be a trickle of tourists around, but with the destruction to the Virginia Creeper Trail on this side, parking lots were vacant and the streets were empty. So instead, I did a crazy move. I called ahead to Marion Outdoors, and asked if they could deliver me a pair of Olympuses on trail.

Now, you might ask dear reader, why did I even think of that one? Simply put, Marion Outdoors’ social media game is absolutely killer. Their manager, Coach, puts out tons of YouTube shorts and TikToks about gear, or backpacking, etc. I figured if any shop was gonna have a guy who could do what I wanted, it’d be Marion. Plus they’re the next hostel I stay at anyways. Marion Outdoors didn’t disappoint. We quickly agreed on a rendezvous point in their normal shuttle schedule, and worked it out.

With that, I had time to finally enjoy the trail, even if it was in relatively high amounts of pain. Virginia’s not flat by any means. Coyote warned me about it, and I was experiencing it clear as day. At the same time, the first fifteen miles at least were gentle. And super well maintained, I even met a man today that was sprucing the blazes back up! I didn’t catch his name as I was trying to not limp into camp, but whoever you are, thank you!

I also saw my second snake on trail today! It was camping out in a field of plants that I was trying to identify. I wanted to see if it was Ramps (delicious!) or Lily of the Valley (extremely deadly!), and was startled when it slithered away. I don’t think it was a dangerous snake, but a good reminder to stay aware out there.

Passed by a few people who recognized me from my karaoke moment yesterday, and passed and through the remains of the Creeper Trail in the area. It seems so nice, I hope they can restore it to what it was. I love the benches, bridges, and care that clearly goes into maintaining such a beauty.

Rolled into Lost Mountain as everyone was asleep. Tried to get some slight PT exercises in to help recover the legs that’re being put through the wringer. Hopefully, with the shoes tomorrow, things will get much better.

There’re some stray dogs at this shelter. Very sad. Don’t abandon your dog, or you’re the scum of the earth.