On the way into Daleville, VA we did just over a 15 mile day mostly downhill. It was a breeze up until mile 14 at which point my right shin decided to become a ball of pain as a shin splint came roaring through. I slowed my pace but by that point I was already hurting badly. Thankfully, it was only another bit of downhill into Daleville where an outfitter and ample resupply awaited us.
We (Red Knees, Barbarossa and myself) managed to hitch a ride to the main shopping center where we immediately stopped by the outfitter - my "new" Keens were turning out to be slightly too minimalist for my newly recovered foot so I traded up for a pair of violently purple Salomon Synapse trail runners. They are fantastic. I asked the outfitter for ice for my shins and they looked at me like I asked if they had any eye of newt and toe of frog to get my cauldron going. They mumbled something about 10 pound bags of ice at the grocery store.
Thankfully, the server at the Three Little Pigs BBQ restaurant was much more accommodating. After quarantining us smelly vagrants to the upper outside patio (smart move, buddy) he brought me a large bag of ice which I put on my swollen shin and it immediately began to help.
We finished dinner in reasonable time and planned to continue on to the campsite over in Troutville, the next town over. When I heard mention that Gravy was coming to meet us and could give us a ride I immediately stopped and sat down to hopefully rest my shins further.
An hour later as the sun is setting quickly over the horizon, a motorcycle pulls up in front of our crew in the parking lot and whipped off his helmet. It was Gravy. Apparently no one had asked which vehicle he would be taking and there was no way all 7 of us plus packs would fit on that bike despite our unmatched powers of ingenuity.
Barbarossa, Red Knees and myself immediately took off to take advantage of what daylight we had left and made it to the road in Troutville just as the last bits of light were leaving the sky. A 1.5 mile road walk got us the rest of the way to the Troutville Park and Fire Station where we set up for the night. It was good to be with the tribe again but the quick walk had wreaked havoc on my shin. I popped some Advil and called it a night with my sleeping bag sprawled across a picnic table in the pavilion.
Our little crew set out earlier than the rest of the tribe the next morning, eager to get in some good miles. My shin still bothering me, I took it very slow up the first hill before settling into a good pace. At the second shelter of the day we stopped (around 1:00pm) to take a siesta and wait out the heat of the afternoon before finishing our hike. An hour later 2-Pack and Goatman showed up letting us know that the remainder of the tribe had opted to go to Waffle House and wouldn't be leaving until later, if at all.
We finally got to the last shelter at around 6:00pm after some beautiful views from the Blue Ridge. I soaked my foot and shin in the cool spring water next to the shelter on and off all evening, added my last splash of bourbon to a cup of peppermint tea and popped a few Advil. I should be fine by the morning, right?
Wrong. Shin splints suck. Plus upon waking the sore on my side that I had covered with moleskin was in crazy amounts of pain. There was nothing to be accomplished by sitting in the woods except going through food too quickly so I slung on my pack and started walking. My shin and hip throbbed the whole 9 miles, no matter what speed I took it so when we found Team TNT doing trail magic at the swimming hole at mile 9, just down the road from Meadow Creek Campgrounds, I floated the idea of taking a short day and everybody got on board (with the exception of Red Knees, who had already forged ahead before I reached the magic).
We got an adorable cabin, purchased a 10lb bag of ice and went in to relax. My hip still throbbing I decided I needed to take of the moleskin to see what the problem was. As I peeled off the moleskin I screamed - yellow pus was pouring from the infected wound as I ripped off the bandage. Roadrunner immediately went back to the store and purchased hydrogen peroxide which I poured on the wound after cleaning it out.
Once the shock wore off I grabbed the peroxide, some shampoo, soap and a towel and headed to the bathroom for some aggressive cleaning treatment. Two showers and two dousings with peroxide later I felt slightly less woozy and afraid I was going to die.
For the rest of the day I sat reclined with ice on my shin and my hip exposed to allow the wound to dry out and scab over. Beetlejuice arrived later in the evening, having opted not to zero in Daleville the previous day, and we all sat around playing cornhole, card games and drinking beer until midnight.
I woke up feeling much better but still in no condition to hike. My friends headed on but I managed to talk the remainder of the Tribe (Candy Pants, Animal, Scarecrow, Mowgli and Gump) to come up to the campgrounds and ultimately stay the night. I think I will try to slack pack 15 miles tomorrow back to the campgrounds with Orange Peel, her dad (I'm blanking on his trail name but it begins with an "S" - Sparky I think?), Trouble and Hobo. It will be almost all downhill and with no weight it will be good to see how it goes.
I am exceptionally frustrated with my body and it's lack of ability to stay in one piece. If it isn't one thing, it's another and it is driving me batty. I know I went quick out of the gates after Trail Days butI truly thought I could handle it. If tomorrow doesn't go well I have an opportunity to do work for stay in the area which will give me even more time to recuperate. Fingers crossed.
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