[at-l] Cheerio takes a break

[ATnavi@aol.com]

The latest update from Cheerio, now in Central Virginia:

Hi Everyone,
This is one email I've been putting off cuz I just don't want to think it, 
much less write it...  I may be off the trail.  You all have been hearing 
about my problems on & off this whole hike with my feet and now its to the 
point that I cant hike. 

I took a long break in June to rest and heal, the pulled tendon healed, but 
not the feet.  my 3rd day back on the trail I spent the last hours & miles 
hiking in tears the pain in my feet was so severe.  My jaw hurt for 2 days I 
was gritting it so hard.  I felt like someone had been beating the bottoms of 
my feet with a cane - for days.  If my tent hadn't been stolen the day 
before, I would have stopped when I found a note from a hiker pointing to 
water.  but, with no shelter, I had to keep going... downhile for miles... 
all on rocks.  bad situation became worse.  this was easily the hardest 
afternoon I ever had on the trail.  I got to sugar run gap psyched that 
woodshole hostel was just a half mile away.  heard a car on the road and 
limped frantically thru the brush hoping they would see me and offer a ride.  
My luck was in, it was Tillie Wood who runs the hostel.  She was up to take 
down the signs cuz she had closed that day, but I must have looked real 
pitiful cuz she offered to let me stay in the barn anyways and even offered 
me breakfast.  What a Godsend, someone was looking out for me.  If she hadn't 
been there, I would have seen the closed card on the sign and would have had 
no choice but to hike 2 more miles uphill.  As it was 6pm, in my shape I 
would have been arriving after dark, and since my headlamp was lifted along 
with my tent, it would have been a scary nite hike in the dark frantically 
looking for the shelter.

Next am Tillie arranged a ride down for me and I took a few days to heal the 
feet once again.  Sandy came thru in typical AT-L friend fashion and 
overnited her Nomad tent to me so I could continue.  I bought a mini mag 
flashlite, filled my food bag and got ready to walk out of town.  Decided to 
walk up the hill to a restaurant for dinner & back.  the feet died.   I 
realized that if I couldnt even walk a mile w/o pain & hobbling, it wouldnt 
be smart to try and walk the 60/70 some miles to the next stop.  I called my 
old roomie, Marion, and she drove up from Richmond VA to get me.

I went to a Podiatrist here and got the bad news, my feet are screwed.  I 
have severe plantar fascitis in both feet, its starting to develop into bone 
spurs, I've got several neuroma thingys where the toes connect to the ball of 
the feet and to top it all off I've got a foot fungus.  He gave me a shot in 
the feet for the worse neuromas - that was a really gross thing to watch.  I 
dont mind shots in the arm etc, but something about a shot in the foot where 
its so bony really was freaky!  Anyways, I go back in another week & half to 
see how its coming and if I can hike in August.  He says I have to get 
insoles with better arch support and less stiffness than the superfeet 
customs I got @ trail days.  Evidently, they may do a great job of holding my 
foot in the right position, but they dont support my high arches or provide 
enough stress cushioning.  Also no going barefoot at all.

I'm taking off tm to head south to do my field editing stuff for the 
Companion.  Should be a good use of this time while I wait to hear the foot 
news.  I dont want to end up with bone spurs, so if that is still a problem, 
I'll have to be cutting the thru short.  Permanent foot trouble isnt in the 
plan.  I'll send more when I hear the verdict, hopefully at least hike short 
days

Cheerio  GA-?? 2000
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