Samwise Hikes the Appalachian Trail! - Trail Journal -
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July 4, Ironmasters Mansion Hostel - mile 1082.4

Happy Independence Day! it does not in any fashion or form feel like a holiday, least of all July 4th, but I'm still thoroughly enjoying the day. I was hoping the park here tonight might have some fireworks or something but I'm told there won't be.

We had a very pleasant hike in today, though we did have to wait out the rain the morning. I actually had to race out of my tent at 1:00 A.M. to put the rain fly on, because I woke up with drops splattering on my face. Luckily, though, it started very gradually & I had time to get the fly secured & get safely back in before it really poured. As I usually do, I woke up around 6 this morning but I stayed inside til 7, when the rain finally let up enough that I dared to make a bathroom run. During that hour, I packed everything up inside the tent so that getting it into the pack would require minimal effort, & once that was done, I collapsed the tent under the fly & tried to keep it mostly dry while I stuffed it away. Bt the time we broke camp, the rain was pretty well stopped & we were most pleased to be able to hike without getting our shoes drenched, as they would have been had we left at our usual time.

So after a 12 mile stroll, we arrived here at the hostel & are now drying our tents on the picnic tables & waiting on the front porch until the 5 P.M. opening time. Unfortunately, as I was getting my tent spread out I walked through the clover growing all over & got stung twice on my toes. Although I didn't actually see the bug because it all happened so fast, I presume it was some sort of wasp or hornet, since bees can only sting once. At any rate, the pain was so intense that I doubled over, gasping, & the tears started pouring - I was a mess! Doreen got some cold water to pour over my toes & that seemed to help, but now my foot is starting to swell up & it is still incredibly painful to touch anywhere near it. Of all the places to get stung - it has to be my foot! Not some where irrelevant to hiking, like my arm or my thigh or something, but MY FOOT! I just hope it's OK to walk on by morning.