Slackpacking in Reverse

On Monday, while I was hiking and taking video, I took a misstep and twisted my ankle. Because it's still hurting some, I'm still having trouble with my back and I just resupplied (i.e., I would be carrying a full pack), I decided to slackpack today. Instead of jumping backwards to make up lost trail like last time, we jumped forward to hike back. I left my full pack at the Black Bear Resort a little after 7 a.m. and set out with just a small pack and supplies I would need only for the day. Forest and I hopped a shuttle to Watauga Dam Rd, about 14 miles up the Trail (the red dot on the following map), and began hiking South back to Black Bear (the hostel symbol circled in white).

This also gives me another night at the hostel (although we will tent tonight). The other advantage is that Forest and I will have a day to acclimate with less weight and an earlier start to hiking in the heat since temperatures are climbing into the high 70s and low 80s this week. Tomorrow morning, I'll take the shuttle back to the same place and hike North. We should be in Virginia Friday or Saturday!

Injuries are pretty common on the Trail, and fortunately most of them are minor as long as you avoid infection. Besides trench foot, which I talked about a couple of days ago, my hands are suffering some and will continue to do so off and on. I've tried wrapping my poles, but so far it hasn't really helped.