Glenwood, NJ

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7/19 ~ Apple Valley Inn (2.8 AT miles hiked, 1.1 road walk)

Cumulative Miles this leg: 61.8

Cumulative AT Miles: 302.0

I think my right ankle is done for. I twisted it badly in PA and it seems to be getting worse rather than better. It has a golf ball size swelling in front of my ankle bone, and the only way I got up and over Pochuck was by taking lots of Vitamin I and leaning heavily on my poles for assistance.

I will try and enjoy my stay here at this nice place before I tackle the public transit from rural NJ to DC. It's going to take too long to recover up here, and I'd like to have this looked at by a doctor.

7/20 ~ Glenwood to Reston, VA (0 miles)

John was nice enough to drive me to Warwick, NY after breakfast today (9:30am). In NY state, Warwick is pronounced war-wick, not war-rick, much like Cairo is pronounced is pronounced Kay-ro (like the syrup) not Kiy-ro in Illinois. From there, I took a NJ transit bus to Port Authority. For $8.00, it was a bargain. I was really in the sticks (well, what passed for it in the East at least). I then took a cab to Penn Station ($5, and worth every penny) because I couldn't deal with walking with my pack, poles and boots all on my back. Coming off the bus, I really nailed my ankle again, and it was bad enough to begin with. I got to Penn Station at 12:20, and there was a train to DC at 12:40, so there was no time to get food or anything there. I got to DC and took the Metro to Vienna. This involved standing on my ankle while. Eight hours, door to door with almost no waiting. I waited longer for the first Metro out of Union Station than for any other piece of this transportation puzzle.

7/26 ~ Reston, VA

I've had my ankle checked out and I'll be able to hike the first week in August, so I'll be going back then. I will not be able to make it to Katahdin before October 1, due to my layover. I'm now shooting for Gorham, NH (that's right at the Maine line).

I've added a zipper to my NomadLite tent. It was made with a velcro closure, I suspect to save weight. I've been using the thing daily, and I just never got used to it. I used the existing velcro tape like seam tape and attached 77" of two-way zipper. It seems to work fine, and I'm really looking forward to being able to get in and out of my tent quickly.