Full of anxiety on Wednesday, I cautiously headed out again to see if the leg was better and trail-worthy. I was also worried if I would know a soul or have to meet all new hikers over the next few days.

As far as I can tell, the leg is at 95% again! PTL! Of course, the law of the trail: when one thing stops hurting, something else starts. I’ve had to pace myself to keep my knees happy with me. Before Wednesday I had taken 11 of the previous 15 days as Zeros, so these first days back almost feel like I’m starting all over again.

As far as friends, I’ve seen somebody I know every day! The trail is a small world and has a way of evening out everyone’s pace.

Just so you know, I’m undergoing an experiement tomorrow, one that I’ve thought about long before the hike began.  Like I mentioned in the intro videos to the site I know that 26,000 children die a day from preventable causes related to their poverty, but I don’t know what 26,000 of something feels or looks like. So, tomorrow while hiking I’m going to count 26,000 steps, understanding that each step will represent a life ended too soon because of a very simple lack. The world has the resources — where are they going?

Yeah, heavy duty. I’m not sure what to expect. I’ve never counted past…well….maybe 120? I’ll blog about that sometime on Tuesday while rewarding my leg with a much deserved day off. Until then, here’s the…

Trail Report
5/27 9.3 miles, really tired, everything feels sweaty and humid, rained a good portion of the hike, leg feels ok

5/28 16.4 miles, foggy most of the day, rained the last 1/2 hour. Lots of flies here (which would have been named a land had it not been named a fly…) saw a snake that would not get off the trail

5/29 14.6 miles, saw my first turtle! Many portions of the trail were a river because of how much it rained last night.

5/30 22.8  miles, thankful leg doesn’t hurt! Saw a deer. Might have seen a bear. Saw 2 owls sitting together!

5/31 13.6 miles, challenging climbs and rock scrambles. Had dinner at an AYCE (all you can eat) Family Style restaurant….amazing!