May 8th, 2015

Todays miles = 17
Total ADK miles = 58.7

Last night was a struggle to sleep. Between the sun burn, my hip, and my big toe I was in some serious pain. I went from burning up to shivering.  I couldn't lay in so many positions because something hurt everywhere I laid. So, it was just another day to log in the trail books of me not sleeping.

I though for a moment that the sun was going to be hiding behind the clouds when I woke up but I was very mistaken. The sun was out in full force yet again today. I made my oatmeal, drank my coffee from my recycled to-go cup I got at the minimart, packed up my gear, and was hiking by 7:30am. The first 1.6 miles of the morning were a continuation of last nights road. It was paved and with a good bit of traffic. I had my limp on due to my injuries and because of that I got a few sympathy waves from the drivers of the passing cars. I refused to take ibuprofen unti I felt I absoutely need it. I took it about 1/2 miles into the day. After that 1.6 miles I took a right turn onto a smaller paved road which eventually turned into a dort road and was heaven on my feet. I stopped in a small pocket of shade to get water and take a little break 3.7 miles into the day. I continued to walk the dirt road for about 4 miles before it ended and met up with yet another paved road. That led me to a dam and Union Falls. I crossed the bridge to the left of the falls and continued on a paved road for another 4 miles. Around the 10 mile mark today I came to a little lake front campground where I found a picnic table under the trees and ate my lunch. The campground was not open for the season yet so I didn't have to bother with anyone wondering why I was there. All I had to do was cross a small log over a brook to get there!

After lunch I jammed my pussing big toe back into my shoe and continued on the road for alomst a mile before I met up with a jeep track that I took up a small mountain. Eventually I had to veer off that track and bushwhack straight into a dense forrest down the mountain until I came to a small stream. It sucked. I got bit, scraped, scratched, stabbed, and stung by everything in the forrest. I was traveling at about 1/2 mile per hour to make it through all the obstacles.  I really hate it in the moment but once it's over I realize that it's actually pretty cool. I picked 3 spiders out of my hair once I connected with a snowmobile track and continued on my way. By this time I was rather tired. I had been pressuring myself to hike enough miles because surly you are a failure if you hike under 20 and you're never going to make it where you are going.... and then I realized that I  didn't actually have to and I would surly make it where I was going hiking 15.8 miles a day. After I met up with the snowmobile track I followed that for a while before soaking my shirt in a small spring and eagerly pitting it back on in an attempt to cool myself down. It didn't work as well as I was hoping. The track eventually ended and I made it to a small deserted campground. I passed through there and out to a pond. A beautiful GIANT pond. I mean, how do they call this a pond? It's huge! I crossed over a dam and entered the woods via trail. Trail! Oh, real trail! The trail lead to another snowmobile track which I followed for the rest of the hike today. I met a very worty frog during that bit that didnt seem afraid of me at all. I also found the purfect walking stick ever! There were also some very tiny and pretty flowers starting to bloom.

Once I got to my camp site tonight (which is a lean-to right on the pond) I discovered that my big toe was not necessarly hurting because the nail was going to fall off but instead a giant blister had formed underneath my toenail. You know when you get a sliver underneath your nail? Imagin a quarter sized blister underneath the nail instead pushing the nail up and off your toe....yeah.... so, I sanatized and preped myslef before taking my knife and jamming into it. Puss went everywhere and continued to do so until about 2 tbsp had come out. The swelling in my toe went down, my nail returned to its place of touching the skin underneath it, and the pain almost completely disappeared (for now). Although, to ensure the blister wouldn't come back I had to carve out a good portion of the side of my toenail and the surrounding skin. So that hurts a bit.

Today I felt a bit like Mary Poppins, a bit like I was in the desert, a bit like a surgeon, and a bit like Frodo Baggins leaving the Shire with my walking stick; hiking rather directionless on the leaf ridden mossy forrest road. I almosy expected to come across Farmer Maggots fresh veggie crop. But instead I found this.... (pictures attached)