4/30/98--Days Inn, Franklin, NC 106.8 miles
Rain settled in last night as I was going to bed and it stayed settled until this afternoon. The hike in to town was quick and wet but ended in a golden hitchhike--J. thumbed a ride from a van that took 8 of us--6 humans, 2 dogs, and everyone's packs and hiking poles--and, moreover, waited for the last of us to come down into Winding Stair Gap, so when D., A., and I got into the pullout there was a van with an open door waiting for us.
So we are in town, but it hasn't been the day off I needed. The hotels in the central part of town don't take dogs, so J., his dog, Diva Dog, and I wound up a mile or more away and the walking has been rough on my right foot even without my pack on (we left our packs with the others in the center of town). I'm pretty sure it's some kind of tear in the connective tissue--the pain is in the arch, and it hurts most when I've been off of it awhile and has a chance to stiffen. It's making me worried and discouraged, since all I can do, really, is keep going and keep my fingers crossed. I'm already behind schedule, I can't rest it before Fontana Dam. And the weather report calls for thunderstorms through the weekend.
On the other hand, it's wonderful to be clean and I enjoyed hanging out with J. and N. today--to get out of the full throttle group dynamics for a bit.
It was also great to talk to people from home--my parents, S. it's easy to feel disconnected out here, not just distant but almost disembodied, suspended between Springer and Katahdin for the duration.
Okay, it's late and we have a ways to go early in the morning before we can get back on the Trail. --M.C.
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