May 11-Day 15 / Better Days

True is it that we have seen better days. William Shakespeare

I have been experiencing foot pain for the past three days. The challenge of the CDT is hard enough without being in constant pain. I am hoping a rest in Pie Town will help. Today I hiked 24 miles with Speed. He began hiking one day before I did and this is the first time we met. He caught me between mile 3 and 4 and we hiked the rest of the day together. It was nice to have some good conversation to distract me from my foot pain. He lives in Colorado and is only hiking a section of the CDT. Below is his picture taken at the Toaster House after reaching Pie Town. 

After hiking together for a few miles, Speed offered me some duct tape to wrap my ankle. It seemed to help for a while, but it was murder to remove at the end of the day. Let's just say I have no more hair on my lower right ankle. Ouch! (Speed suggested I apply the tape over my sock, but I thought it would be more effective applied directly on my ankle.) 

At the end of the day, we found ourselves walking on a dirt road where both sides of the road were fenced and posted as private property. The signs were very explicit: no trespassing, no camping, no hunting. We met a rancher driving on the dirt road who offered us beer. After hiking another hour, we decided to stealth camp behind some trees and hoped nobody saw us. 

We are camped 16 miles from Pie Town and we plan an early start to be there before 1 pm tomorrow. There is a free hiker hostile named Toaster House and I plan to spend the following day resting and allowing my ankle to heal. I've been dreaming of some pie and ice cream! 

Trailer for Short Documentary Film "Pie Lady of Pie Town" from Jane Rosemont on Vimeo.