Another day, another hostel for a few days. Made it into Pearisburg, VA with a little help and went straight to hiker doctor. I started having problems with my opposite knee because of compensation. Using it to pull up weight on boulders and always landing on it when coming down has put a big strain on the tendons. Luckily the joint looks good, but unlucky because the tendons could take awhile to heal. Dr says stay off it for 4-5 days and start back with short miles. Unfortunately, my second day back has no water sources for 12 miles. I should know by day 2 if this is going to work. Keep your fingers crossed.
The last week was a little grueling, but the temperature has gone up and the days now seem longer. I hiked through a lot of farm land and dodged many a cow. And cow poo.
Had another midnight bear encounter. Luckily there were several hikers around. He did roll a rock down the hill behind me and it crashed into my tent.
Everyone is talking bears right now. The locals are all carrying guns and they euthanized one that attacked a hiker in his tent. I feel sorry for the bears. It’s the dumb hikers that sleep with food bags and don’t clean up after themselves that are causing the problems.
I also saw a giant beaver, but he jumped into the river before I could get a pic.
Got stung on the butt by a bee and the knats seem to love me. Finally, I look like a Survivor contestant.
Those Virginia blues are always trying to creep in. One step in front of the other….
I did run into 3 trail magics in one day. Chili burritos, tons of fruit, cold drinks and candy. And popcorn, which is my favorite!
Also, on my hitch off the mtn that I couldn’t finish, the guy that picked me up took me through a tiny mtn town that’s totally off the grid. No electricity or bathrooms. Outhouses!
It’s all so beautiful and I really do want to stay on the trail. Just gotta stay a step ahead of those blues!
Ok. Everybody take care and I’ll check back in 100 or so!!
Digdeep…I really am.
justcheech 
You gotta suffer if you wanna sing the blues. Oh wait. You are suffering! Oh wait. You are not suffering. You are being challenged and it was By choice. What you’re doing daily is awesome and As Steve Gleason says, “awesome ain’t easy.” NO WHITE FLAGS!
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Rock on. You are amazing.
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Glad your joint is good but sorry about your tendons. I too don’t understand people who bring food into a tent. It’s simple math: Food + Tent = Bears!
You do look like a Survivor contestant! The Finale was good, btw. I am so relating to your bee sting. I got stung 2 or 3 times by a wasp on my bladder meridian.
Love the pictures and reading about your adventure!
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Simply amazing Cheech. I would have put an end to all of that misery at the winery. But then again: I’m a quitter. I bet you were on the Wild West trails, blazing new frontiers in a past life. 😁
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I am so enjoying your posts!! I am selling my house and buying an rv and doing the national park thing. Can’t retire until December, so my first trip in January will be to Key West. Very, very excited!! Hang in there, Cheech. If everybody could do this, it wouldn’t be so special. I have tremendous admiration for you. Stay strong.
From: justcheech To: udntlookup@yahoo.com Sent: Saturday, May 28, 2016 3:33 PM Subject: [New post] Relapse #yiv0842899465 a:hover {color:red;}#yiv0842899465 a {text-decoration:none;color:#0088cc;}#yiv0842899465 a.yiv0842899465primaryactionlink:link, #yiv0842899465 a.yiv0842899465primaryactionlink:visited {background-color:#2585B2;color:#fff;}#yiv0842899465 a.yiv0842899465primaryactionlink:hover, #yiv0842899465 a.yiv0842899465primaryactionlink:active {background-color:#11729E;color:#fff;}#yiv0842899465 WordPress.com | justcheech posted: “Another day, another hostel for a few days. Made it into Pearisburg, VA with a little help and went straight to hiker doctor. I started having problems with my opposite knee because of compensation. Using it to pull up weight on boulders and always la” | |
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Wow. That’s great. I should be home in October, so please keep in touch! Back on the trail tomorrow and hoping all feels well. Thanks for the support!
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Its been fabulous to follow your journey! U r rugged! I love the photos and stories! Wishing for swift healing for u for the bones, tendons and bites 😉
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