Feeling optimistic and also wondering if perhaps the brace HAD been too tight yesterday, I decided to simply put KT tape on my various issues and see how things went.

Things went great for the first 7 miles - there was still some tightness in my lower leg but nothing I couldn’t deal with.  The trail seems easy compared to what we have been experiencing lately, and for that I’m grateful.  We aren’t on a ridge line or high in the mountains, but it was still pretty.  I particularly enjoyed walking by (and sometimes through) all the meadows.

As I got closer to our planned meeting spot at the Indian Peaks Trailhead, I was excited to report to Nick that I was feeling ok (he had been ahead of me all morning).  However, Nick wasn’t there for me to share the news with when I arrived; this worried me (as it always does when he’s not where I think he is) and my stomach twisted.  Is he ok?

I checked the Bivy for a message but there wasn’t one.  I waited 15 minutes and then sent HIM a Bivy text.  Maybe I had the wrong meeting spot?  While I waited, either for him to show up or for a text response, I ate some snacks, used the privy, applied a hefty dose of picardin for the first time this trail (the cloud of mosquitoes that enveloped me was astounding), and then walked to the stream to get some water.  

Nick showed up as I was getting water.  I was elated to see him, but he didn’t understand why.  He had stepped off the trail to take care of business and I somehow didn’t see his pack or poles on the side of the trail.  For his part, he was confused to see me at the trailhead because I hadn’t turned one of his poles upside down (that’s our signal that the person behind passed the person in front when they step off-trail).  There were a lot of trails out there, maybe I was on a different one?  Regardless, the sick feeling in my stomach evaporated as soon as I saw him walk up and all was right with the world again.

Since I was feeling ok, we planned to meet in another 10 miles.  I figured my issues yesterday were because of a too-tight brace after all.

 I made it 3 miles before the familiar pain started to creep back into my shin.  I was wrong - it wasn’t a too-tight brace.  The trail was mostly downhill at this point and even though I did all I could to be nice to my leg, my pace slowed with every step.  Nick eventually passed me.  My pace slowed even more.  By the time I got to the bottom of the downhill by Monarch Lake, I was in the Pain Cave just trying to survive.

The walk around Monarch Lake was rough.  I didn’t want to take any Vitamin I, so I was shuffling so slowly that all the day hikers passed me with ease.  Despite the fact that it was raining, I stopped to sit on a wet log for a bit to try to massage the pain away.  It didn’t work.

When I finally made it to the around Monarch Lake to the trailhead, Nick was waiting for me.  It wasn’t our planned meeting spot but, because he’s the best person I know, he waited for me anyway (he saw how much I struggled going down the hill).

Nick walked with me from the trailhead.  The pain continued to worsen and I broke down and took some ibuprofen after all.  I didn’t think I could make it much further.  Happily, I didn’t have to - it was only 0.5 painfully slow miles to the Big Rock Campground.  They had one spot left, which we happily took. It was only 2:30pm and we were done for the day.  Even though I need the rest, my thru-hiker self continues to balk at the wasted day and the miles left unhiked.  

I hope that everyone either already has or soon finds a partner as amazing as the one I have.  While we sat on the picnic table at our site, Nick said only positive things, like how happy he was to stop so early, how he’s excited to be at this campground, and even how pretty the flowers next to our site are.  He did everything he could to make me feel better about the situation and didn’t once come close to saying anything that would make me feel worse than I already do about the low miles we’re putting in.  He’s the best.  

Along the trail:

Camp: