Day 123 – An unwanted stop

Day 123

Start: Beach shelter at Canopus Lake

End: Old Route 55

Miles hiked: 17.0

Miles on AT: 1446.5

This morning started like any other. And that was great because it meant I had a music-free night! Yes, last night I slept peacefully with no musical disturbances.

As the sun rose, people were milling around, packing up their things and eating breakfast. I was in the first group of hikers to leave the shelter, but we were all pretty much doing our own thing. As I was hiking, I noticed that someone had hung a dream catcher along the trail. Where was it a few days ago when I needed it?

Eventually I climbed to the top of a rocky peak where someone had painted a 9/11 memorial and planted some beautiful flowers. Comments in FarOut about this memorial were mixed because it almost looked like graffiti, but I thought it was tastefully done.

Although we hikers from yesterday had all started the day separately, we managed to gather at the nearest water source to fill up our bottles and have a bite to eat. Today’s itinerary included another delicatessen, which I would probably reach around midday. Everyone was looking forward to it and everyone planned to stop there for lunch.

For the next few miles, all I could think about was food. There was not only a deli, but also a pizza place. Yummy!

As I approached the street where the deli was located, I met Stretch. We went into the deli together and decided to split a large pizza. I got pineapple on my side and he got Margherita. It was perfect!

As the afternoon went on, more and more hikers arrived. Before I knew it, the whole place was overrun with us (though I’m sure the owners didn’t mind). I was able to charge a few electronic devices and dry my tent in the sun behind the house. This place was really hiker friendly.

After at least an hour and a half, it was time to go. I didn’t want to get stuck there and I still had a few miles to go. I said goodbye and headed out.

However, shortly after I started hiking, I felt this strange pain again. Like yesterday, the pinprick feeling started out mild. Every 10 to 39 seconds, I felt a slight sting, as if I was being pricked with a needle somewhere on my body. I tried to ignore it, but the longer I hiked, the more painful it became. It was not something I could ignore and hike with. The feeling made me wince and scream “Ouch!”

After a few miles I decided I couldn’t hike like that. I was near Pawling, NY, so I would take a zero there and see if this mysterious pain, whatever it was, got better. I didn’t really have a better choice.

When I reached Old Route 55, I wanted to cry. Why was this happening to me? I just wanted to complete the trail without pain. There was absolutely nothing I could do to make it better and I felt powerless. I didn’t want this to be the end of my journey. The most frustrating thing was that I was physically perfectly capable of hiking. It was just a small but intense pain that made it uncomfortable.

Despite my desperation, the journey was still manageable. Just as I was getting ready to hitchhike, a man drove up in a truck.

“Are you hiking the trail?”

He asked all the usual questions and chatted with me for a while about the sections he had hiked. He asked where I was going and if I needed a ride, and of course I said yes. It turned out he was a board member of a local organization that supported and maintained the trail, and a former elected official from Pawling, NY. This was the second time an elected official had given me a ride during my hikes. To me, that was a sign that he really cared about the people he served and the work he had done.

We arrived in Pawling in front of the hotel I was staying at and said our goodbyes. Once I got to my room, I sat down and took a deep breath. Well, all I could do was take it easy today and tomorrow and see how my body felt after my zero. I hated being sidetracked for something so out of my control, but this was my reality now.

And this is day 123.

Follow my journey on Instagram (@jenbrownhikes) for more updates!

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