May 27, 2004 - 23 miles today and only 3 more miles to Hot Springs, NC where I’ll get to wash clothes and re-supply and all that fun stuff. It was such a long day. I had a horrible night’s sleep because the shelter was way too full, so not much leg and arm room. When I woke up I had some really big blisters from yesterday’s 30 miles and hiking in the rain. I tried to walk it off but it was too painful. So I taped one of my flip-flops to my foot because it hurt with the shoes on and because the blister was on my heel. I finally decided to pop it. After that it felt great and I was back to hiking at my regular pace. Today was mostly downhill so it was an easy day. Today’s highlight was the view on top of Max Patch. You can see a lot of mountains from the top of this field. There are 8 other people at the shelter tonight. It doesn’t look like rain so I’ve set up the tent and ready for a good night’s sleep.
