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| Shoes and boots in a tree at Neel's Gap |
From Sarah via a phone conversation with Jay on 5/20/11:
He is 'only' 35 miles north of Pearisburg. "Thirty-five miles in two days doesn't sound like an 'only' to me," I
protested. "Well, I did hike 20 miles today, but I did a short day yesterday because my shoes have been hurting me," Jay replied.When Jay started the trail, he was wearing heavier tennis shoes, to keep him warm through the spring storms. Since Damascus, he has been wearing lighter shoes that he bought for summer wear back in March. But after 600 miles in five weeks, his feet have changed shape a bit. So the shoes that were very comfortable in March don't fit him quite right now. He is having to break them in all over again. Fortunately, since they are tennis shoes, another 100 or so miles should get the shoes conformed nicely to his feet again.
Other than shoe issues, he is doing well. Jay says the hikers that he passes now are in smaller groups, he thinks many hikers stopped in Damascus. He is still passing most people, as he is still hiking long hours. It's not so much fun to hang out by himself, so he hikes.
Update 5/25/11 from Helen:
Jay has since gotten good insoles for his new shoes and his feet are feeling much better. Hooray for access to choices in shoes! He is closing in on Buena Vista, VA. He is now about 9-10 days ahead of his posted itinerary.
I've been checking this blog daily to see of Jay's progress. Sounds like (other than the new shoes) he's doing great.
ReplyDeleteYes he is! Hard for me to imagine how fast he is going. We haven't heard anything about Mike lately. Is he doing ok? I should have more updates on the blog by Monday night, and I hope more pictures. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteBlairFoot here in Shenandoah today. Is there away to find out exactly where Jay is?
ReplyDeleteBlairfoot, it's great to hear from you! We just left Jay yesterday near Montebello, VA. We had a great overnighter with him on the trail. I'll be updating the blog in the next few days. (By the way, as you hike near Montebello, the Dutch Haus is a GREAT overnight stop. They spoil hikers well there. It's in the AT Companion Guide.)
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