March 19 – 6 miles
Got up this morning feeling a little stiff in the knees. Went to the outfitter early and had our pack shake down. We are very proud to announce that the experts had no recommendations for us. They said they wouldn’t change a thing! Woot! We re-weighed our packs and mine was at 25 and Leaps was at 26 pounds! Leap took a couple pounds from me since my knees weren’t feeling strong. Overall though, we were feeling good as we headed back into the woods. Our goal was Low Gap Shelter about 10 miles away. We were ready for a long day!
We were feeling strong going uphill and even passed a hiker (our second one of the trip). Later we found out he was sick, so I guess it doesn’t count. Anyway, about half way up the first mountain, I felt pain in my right knee. Tried some stretches and stopped to rest several times. Started on a down hill and knew then that Blood Mountain had gotten my knees irritated. We stopped again and spent some time taping and then wrapping my knees. I was impressed with how well duck tape works as athletic tape! That helped a little, but not for long. When we were about 4 miles in, I knew I needed to get off the mountain. We got out our maps and the nearest road was another 2 miles away. Leap was very encouraging even when I was a little frustrated and emotionally “touchy”. Stopped several hikers that looked like day hikers to try to Yogi a ride into town. We are just not very good at this Yogi thing! Decided the best bet was to get to the road and then hope and pray for help as I was not walking very well. It looked more like a limpy waddle. It’s hard to limp with 25 pounds on your back! Stopped about a mile away from the road, which was a long downhill walk, to rest and met several other hikers as they passed us including the sick gentleman who we had passed earlier! We decided now or never because sleeping on this mountain tonight was not going to happen!
We got to the end of the trail where it meets the road and trail angels named Jim and King Tut met us. They said they had been waiting for us since the other hikers had warned them of a hiker that was having trouble. Now I really know the meaning of trail angel! I cried tears of relief because I had already decided I was going to hitch hike up the road to Helen, Ga which tells you how desperate I was. They had chairs, food, drink and a large van…heaven for sure! After we rested they took us to Helen to the Helendorf Inn where they take good care of thru-hikers. We got a hiker rate of get this…$34.00! This place is nice! A king size bed, 40″ TV, indoor HEATED pool, wifi and breakfast! Apparently they are trail angels too!
Good thing I brought a prescription anti-inflammatory. Leap took a trip to the Dollar store and picked up some Epson salt. Plan is to rest, get the swelling and pain down and then start again. We knew we were going to have some early setbacks and so we are just trying to go slow and listen to our bodies. We are still in good spirits and very grateful to everyone who has helped us along the way including those back home. BTW…love the comments!
