Appalachian Trail: Day 19
Disclaimer: This post is NOT sponsored. All the gear mentioned in this post was purchased by me at retail prices. I have no affiliations with any of the companies or brands mentioned.
Taking my second zero of the trip. I started developing a shín splint while hiking up to Wayah Bald a couple days ago. I was able to hiker through the pain with the help of some pain killers, but rest is what I really need. Got a private unit at Gorgeous Stays. It's a really cute place with a bunch of different themed places. I ended up with the superhero themed shipping container.
The container was super quiet last night. Really comfortable bed. The hosts Wendy and Scott are amazing. Scott lead a stretching session last night which was great. He focused on stretches that hikers will need and can be done with trekking poles. My shin splint isn't completely gone yet, but hopefully should be better enough by tomorrow that the huge climb out of NOC tomorrow won't be as painful.
For lunch, I got shuttled to the NOC and had a pulled pork sandwich and a beer next to the river. It was a really pleasant way to relax. Also walked through the outfitters and got my permit for the Smokeys printed.
Did a little shopping for resupply, got a new pair of earbuds since I lost my old pair, and came back to Gorgeous Stays for another stretching class and another night of sleep before tackling the big climb out of the NOC tomorrow.