Red Bull was going to head back onto the trail today after his appointment (this was not a medical appointment), but decided to take a Zero Day. He had some strained muscles in his leg, and was still limping.
It did not help that in being a good son this afternoon, he went to our second pantry (in the basement) to bring his mother some supplies for preparing the family meal... then fell down the stairs. Fell down may be an exaggeration, perhaps it would be better said that he slipped and slid down the stairs on his side... the side with the aching leg. For several hours following that incident he was actually holding furniture to walk around.
He plans to return to the trail tomorrow... location to be announced! He had planned to join his group at their shelter tonight, so we now need to re-access the situation. We will also see how he is feeling in the morning! Poor Red Bull! A second zero day may be in order?
Red Bull had planned on us picking him up this evening, because he had an appointment on Sunday. He had a very rough day yesterday, and requested we pick him up a little early.
We picked him up at mile 1154.7 where the trail intersects with PA 225. He hiked a little over 4 miles today. It is a concern with no water available for 16 miles. We welcomed him home for lunch with pizza!
He is limping, has huge blisters on his heals, and a big area rubbed raw on his hip from the waist belt of his pack. He says he hurts everywhere. His new insoles cushion his feet well, but raise his heal higher in the shoe, and the shoes rub on the top of his heals.
We thought he had hiked 20+ miles his first day back on the trail. He actually hiked 22+ miles that day. He had accidentally gotten off the trail, and did not realize he was on the wrong trail until he had traveled a mile. So... an extra mile off and then back to the trail that day! I think he should have eased back into hiking a little more gently... but he was on a quest to catch his friends!
Red Bull has decided he would like us to jump him up the trail to his hiking group, there is no one in this area. We will make the 4 hour drive tomorrow after his appointment, to transport him to his pals. Upon completing the North section of the trail, he will come down to hike the section he missed. Hopefully in the fall the water sources will be flowing.
I remember hearing a few weeks ago that a hiker near this area was lost, and a search party had been sent out to find him. He was out of water, dehydrated, and left the trail to find water. He became lost and called his family for help, he was incoherent. The rescue party located him, asleep in his tent and very dehydrated. They transported him to the hospital. I now want to look up the story again, I am pretty certain it was in this area!
Yes, I just looked up the article. It appears to have happened about 15-20 miles North of where we picked up Red Bull!
Here is the story! Lost Appalachian Trail hiker found - Lebananon Daily News - part of the USA Today network
Red Bull had a rough day today. All seemed to be going well at first... but the water sources were dried up again, his new insoles were "ripping up" his heels, and he thinks he has poison ivy.
When he checked in for lunch at 3:00 pm, he was energetic and encouraged. He called me at 6:00 pm asking me to double check things in the guidebook, and by 7:00 pm was feeling very discouraged.
He took a lunch break in Duncannon, Pennsylvania, mile 1146.6 on the A.T., elevation of 353 feet. He was trying to reach the Clark's Ferry Shelter, and said he had been hiking up a very steep hill for over two hours. He said the guidebook was way off, and the terrain is much more difficult than it claims. The elevation at the shelter is 1,211 feet.
He was running low on water, and we were hoping the shelter had water as it claims in the guidebook. He had to hike a little ways (another hill) for the water, and he said it took almost an hour to fill up a water bottle... but there was water. This is good news, because I do not see any reliable water sources listed for tomorrow until he has hiked 16 miles!
He stopped for the night at the Clarks Ferry Shelter. He said he met a few people yesterday who were out hiking for a couple of days. He said he met a couple of people today hiking the trail southbound. He is all alone at the shelter tonight, which he does not like... and we do not particularly like. He is considering jumping ahead to rejoin his group. We have told him we will assist him with this if it is what he chooses to do. He would go back to hike this missed section at the end.
I hope he awakens refreshed, energetic, and ready to tackle what the day holds... I also hope he meets some good people to hike with, or at least talk to at the end of the day at the shelter.
Red Bull hiked to the Darlington Shelter on mile 1135.3 of the A.T., over 20 miles today. It is at an elevation of 1,221 feet. There have not been reliable water sources (like at his shelter tonight) so he carried 3 liters of water with him all day, keeping it filled as he crossed water.
He does not usually carry that much water, and has been off the trail for almost 2 weeks... he said his legs are very sore.
He did send this interesting photo. I believe it was taken by an old overgrown dirt road, near a spring at mile 1134.2 on the trail.
Red Bull came home from his sister's wedding on Monday, traveled to see an older brother in New Jersey on Tuesday, took Wednesday off to reorganize, and headed back onto the trail this morning!
We dropped him off right where we picked him up almost 2 weeks ago, on Whiskey Springs Road near Boiling Springs Pennsylvania. He had debated having us drop him off with his group, currently 162 miles ahead of him on the trail. He would then finish the trail with them, and later go back to hike the section he missed. He has decided he would prefer to continue with his thru hike, and not jump ahead. He believes he will catch his group in about a month. We feel he will meet new friends along the way.
The offer still stands for us to transport him ahead to join his group at any time. We are glad to see him being independent. He is also making plans to do a cross country road trip, to visit all the National Parks in America. He would need to finish his hike, earn enough money to buy a car and finance the trip, etc... He actually asked his sister who is a senior in high school, if she would like to join him for his road trip. He is a remarkable young man, and we are very pleased with his ability to make and reach worthy goals.
We stayed at the Casablanca Resort in Mesquite Nevada for the wedding, because it was half way between the two locations we needed to be for the celebrations. The wedding and bride's side of the family were in St. George, Utah. The reception and groom's family were in Las Vegas, Nevada.
We left our hotel at 5:00 am for the wedding, parents needed to arrive at 7:00 am for the 8:00 am ceremony. There is also a one hour time difference between Utah and Nevada... always good to know! :)
FUNNY STORY! We stopped at the hotel before the evening reception in Las Vegas. Upon entering his room, Red Bull discovered his fairly new Salomon hiking shoes had been discarded by the maid. These are the shoes he has been using to hike the trail, since his old Columbia hiking boots finally gave out on him!
We could not imagine how they could have been thrown away... then the story comes out!
Apparently at the airport, Red Bull slipped off his hiking shoes. It happened to be as a gentleman walked by, and Red Bull's father commented that the man had a rather strong odor. It was not the man... but Red Bull's hiking shoes. Upon arriving at the hotel feeling self conscious, Red Bull placed his shoes in the bathroom and turned the empty trashcan upside down over his shoes to help contain the odor. In the early hour to get out the door for the wedding, he left the shoes and trash can in that position.
The maid assumed the odorous footwear was trash; wrapped them in the empty trash bag from the can, and threw them away. Red Bull and his father went to the front desk to stress the importance of these missing shoes. The young lady said she had hiked part of the Appalachian Trail, and was very helpful in locating the maid who had discarded the shoes. The maid was sent on a grand search through the trash to find Red Bull's essential hiking shoes. There was a great deal of tension... while waiting to see if they could be located.
Success! They were located, still wrapped in the plastic trash bag... so no more smelly than they were originally! :)
I think Red Bull has realized it is better to allow shoes to air out, and breathe... instead of trying to hide the offending odor under a trash can!
