Today felt long, and difficult. We did 20 miles to get to Jenkins Shelter, and it was a tough section of trail. The day started with a climb up to Chestnut Knob Shelter, where we stopped for an early lunch and enjoyed the bit of sun. The climb was not only long, but hot and humid, so we were dripping with sweat by the time we got to the top.
Speaking of sweating… I need to digress a bit. Last night in the shelter we both were apparently very warm all night because we both woke up a few times drenched in sweat. The lows at night aren’t nearly as low as they had been just a few days ago. I would’ve liked to have slept without a sleeping bag, but I really didn’t want to expose myself to bugs, so I endured the sweating instead.
The rest of the trail was just a bunch of short up and downs, with lots of little rocks so you couldn’t step flat and get into a good groove. It felt like it took forever to go just a few miles. Plus it was threatening rain for a bit, so we put on some rain gear which is just sweaty to hike in, but turned out to be a good idea when it finally did rain for a bit.
My feet are getting fatigued quickly again, and are starting to get new blisters again. I’m thinking that either my shoes are done, or my feet have finally grown and are now rubbing in new spots in the shoe. In any case, I’ll probably be looking to switch into another pair of footwear pretty soon, probably when we reach Daleville in a few days.
It’s your boots. Change them out asap! Also soak your feet in Epsom salt or just table salt when you’re in town. How’s the chaffing?