Overview...

What started as an awareness raising and ethnographic styled walk through Sierra Leone, this site now details the encounters of a not so academic academic who spends more time occupying Wall Street and squats than a university...

Friday, July 23, 2010

The AT in the Rain!!

So I just got back from another trek on the Appalachian Trail.  I wasn't sure if I would go today, but am glad I did.  I was reminded of why at the first sign of a drop of rain in college I threw on my running shoes and hit the pavement.  I love the rain, especially out in the woods.  So peacefully enticing.



As for the hike, it was absolutely fine.  The Vibrams were great in the rain, no slipping, no chaffing, blistering, nothing.  I did however finally stub the pinky toe on my right foot (the left has continually seen much of that kind of abuse).  This one seems to actually have been a good job of it.  I actually gave it a quick ice massage.  But its just soft tissue!!  So no worries.

I went with just a day pack that didn't have a functional waste strap.  Amazing at how as the pack pulls down the shoulders it definitely affects you.  Lift it up from the bottom and its like the entire world relaxes and opens up - literally a weight off your shoulders in the figurative sense even more than the lateral.  Interesting, gonna have to look at more backpacks I think.

I wore some synthetic running shorts.  They were great as far as weight and not being in the way, but didn't stop any chaffing.  That seems to come from time hiking.  I went about seven miles (I think) given my previous speed calculations, and came back a bit faster than I went out.  I started to feel a bit of rubbing just towards the end.  Seems that big old booty and thighs of mine are the culprit there.  Oh well.


Anyway, to more interesting scenarios (or actually not), the foot fatigue from last time was definitely from the hills.  All seemed fine today at half the length of last time and without the big pack - I'll just keep building up...  The weather scenario will be interesting.  The people I crossed on the AT didn't seem so excited about the rain.  Meaning that in going out for one day my excitement may not prevail if I was trying to dry out my stuff at night, or live in it for days or weeks.  But I already have some thoughts on that issue and things I think would make it ok.  We'll see.  I tried to take my camera, but it seems to have found its way back to me without being in working order...  :-/  So no luck there on pics of fogged over wooded hills...  it was enchanting... Maybe next time!!

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