Returning to the trail soon

Hey everybody, it's Shawn. I have spent the past week and a half in Hot Springs, NC, recovering from a stress fracture on my left foot. I spent the first few days in motels with my fellow hikers, who were all sick and also taking a few days off. I got a shuttle into Asheville to see an orthopedist who confirmed that it was indeed a fracture, and not a sprain like the first doctor had told me. The woman who drove me to the doctor, Ruth, told me she had a yurt in her yard and I was welcome to stay there for as long as I needed. So that's where I've been hanging out for the past few days, reading and sharing a bed with at least two or three cats. Hot Springs is a really cool little town, with a main st only about a quarter mile long. The diner is especially tasty. But spring is really starting to show its colors and I am itching to get back to hiking. I took a three mile walk down the train tracks yesterday and my foot didn't hurt at all. My plan is to return to the trail tomorrow morning, where I will of course have to take it slow at first. About 8-10 days from now I should finally be in Virginia. It sucks that I have had to take so much time off, but if I need to rest, I'm glad it could be in such a nice area. I also went through my pack the other day to pick out stuff I don't need and realized that i have been carrying a whopping six pounds of extra crap! So i put that in a package and mailed it up ahead to lighten my load. Anyway like I said I really can't wait to get out there again so I will check back later, hopefully from sweet Virginey.

Injury

Shawn is currently taking some time off of the AT to recover from a sprained foot! He hiked for a few days before he knew how badly it was sprained, and is now giving it some time to get better. Shawn had his first over 20 mile hiking day this week! He seems to be doing very well, except for the pain and the frustration that he shouldn't keep hiking for the next few days. As far as I know, he is out of the Smoky Mountains, which is a huge accomplishment! He said that he's glad to be out of the Smokies, particularly because everyone has to sleep at a shelter every night (rule of the park) and the shelters are either 4 miles away or 18 (just an example), and there aren't any in the middle. Anyway, he should be in town for at least another day or so, so if anyone wants to give him a call or send him an email, please feel free!

Gatlinburg, TN!

Shawn is currently at a motel in Gatlinburg, TN! Today he hiked the tallest mountain on the AT, Clingman's Dome, which stands at 6,643 feet. He's been in the woods with other thru hikers for a number of days, so he said that getting to the top of the Dome was like being at Disney World. There were apparently families everywhere. He and his friend Rambo sat down on a rock at the summit to take a break, look at the view and drink some water. Apparently a 4-ish year old girl turned to her mom and said "what's that smell? why does it smell so bad up here? eww it smells so gross," as soon as the two of them sat down. The mom looked very embarrassed.
Shawn also told me that his foot hurt him for the last 3 miles of the day. One of the boys that he's hiking with is an EMT and said that it looks like he pulled a muscle. Shawn said that he might take a 0 mile day tomorrow to make sure that his foot is fully healed before he starts hiking again.
All of this was being told to me through mouthfuls of salad at Shoney's. He always gets very excited about food, but I guess that happens at home too.

I'll update again soon!