Date- Friday 5/27/05
Start- Applehouse Shelter
Stop- Campsite near Mountaineer Falls
Miles Travelled- 8.9
A day of indecision and a little bit of frustration. Over the past day or so I have been developing a moderate chafing problem. Moderate means extremely painful. Severe leads to insanity if not promptly treated.
Chafing is similar to diaper rash and in adults is usually caused by an accumulation of salt on the skin and in the clothing. Perspiration is salty and when it evaporates the salt crystals remain on the skin and clothes. These crystals act like tiny knives and inflict thousands if not millions of microscopic cuts. Since these cuts are small they heal fast, generally overnight, once the source of irritation is removed.
With that thought in mind, I started early and made my way to Hwy 19E where I heard there was a reasonably priced bed & breakfast. I was willing to stay overnight if it gave me the opportunity to shower and wash my clothes. I didn't realize that check in wasn't till 3:00. This caused a problem because I didn't want to sit on the side of a highway, in the sun for 5 hours. I then remembered the stream by the shelter I stayed at the night before. I figured why not. I hiked back to the shelter took off my boots and jumped into the creek. The cool water immediately soothed the burning. After 15 minutes or so I reasoned that most of the salt had been rinsed away and climbed out of the creek. When I stopped dripping I put my boots back on and hiked back to 19E, crossing it and continuing on.
It's a shame I had all that delay because the hiking was really easy and I could have made many more miles than I actually did.
Posted by at May 27, 2005 10:35 AM