Samwise Hikes the Appalachian Trail! - Trail Journal -
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June 3, Econo Lodge, Daleville, VA - mile 709.3

Oh boy oh boy oh boy. What an experience we had at the shelter last night! I didn't actually see "THE RAT" but the mice were out in force & they were huge. They spent the entire night going after all our belongings, & this morning we found our clothes, camp shoes, trekking poles & the shelter register all confiscated & stuffed into holes among the rocks used to build the shelter. I could hear & feel them running past my head during the night, but as far as I know, none of them actually crawled over my person. At any rate, with all the clanging they were doing by dragging our stuff all over, I didn't get much sleep & I got moving at first light.

The first thing I noticed once I got up was that my right shins were still really sore from yesterday. I spent a lot of time massaging them last night & that usually relieves the pain, but I guess the rough trails & long miles lately have done a number on my legs. And the last 10 miles into town were rough, too, my shin kept hurting worse & worse on the way in, and the last mile was excruciating. I'm so relieved to finally be here & be able to put ice on it for the rest of the day. Truth be told, I'm a little concerned about it, because it seems to hurt a lot worse & a little differently than a normal shin splint. If it's still this painful by tomorrow morning, I may need to schedule yet another visit to the doctor. Boy, some times I feel like a hypochondriac! Our insurance deductible is going to be met in no time at the rate I'm going. Still, I would rather know for sure that I'm not killing myself or breaking bones than to just try to keep going with the pain. Some hikers have done that & end up causing much more serious damage, & usually have to end their hikes because of it. Not me! I'm going to Maine.