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.