No PCT miles.
I got up 7am. The leg was still stiff and sore, and not improved that much from the previous day. I took some ibuprofein and went downstairs to have breakfast. Brian had left some bagels so I ate some while having coffee and oatmeal. At least I am able to get rid of my extra hiking food.
Today the only people around the lodge were me and Alan. Whenever I ventured up from the basement, I chatted with Alan about various subjects. His work term at the place is coming to an end in few days, and he is thinking about whether he should find something similar and save more money or get to Portland to do something else. What is good about a job like this, he says, is that you usually get free accommodation and food, and get to be in a peacefull environment. A low stress job where you can set your own schedule, away from the city and grind.
It pays sometimes to write a blog. Telling about my plight in the web made a friend of mine, Simo, who is a skillful physiotherapeutist, contact me. He diagnosed my injury to be most probably tibialis anterior tendonitis, and gave valuable advice how to deal with it. Huge thanks, Simo! How stupid of me that I did not realise to contact him to begin with. Anyway, I incorporated his massaging instructions to my daily routine and resolved to continue hiking not before on Wednesday, as he strongly recommended.
I spent some of the day to check through my gear and see what needs fixing. I did sew a sock, both of the gaiters, some, my hiking shirt some more and my backpack. With my skills the result was not great but better than nothing. I also washed the backpack for the very first time. It did not get that clean at this late point, when the sweat and dirt has completely been stained into it. I also backflushed my water filter. I have not done that nearly often enough. The flow rate starts to be a bit low.
I did a small stroll into town just to get variety to the day. I met with one hiker who was wandering the streets. He said that he thinks he recognises me from way back. I have been taking so much time off now that everybody is going past. I probably am not gonna see familiar faces anymore during rest of the hike, which is a bit sad. I finished my town visit by getting ice cream from the store. That makes 2L of the stuff three nights in a row now.
During the evening, I did something that I have not done in 4 months: watched television. Alan invited me to watch Seinfeld's "Comedians in a Car Getting Coffee" that he finds hilarious. We watched episodes with Jim Carrey and John Oliver. I was not sold. During the day, I watched few clips of "Who is America?" from Youtube, based on a friends recommendation. That hit the nerve much better. During the day I also had a call to a friend back in Finland. It was great to talk in Finnish. In general, I have been shamefully lazy to keep in touch with friends.
It starts to feel a bit that hiking is a distant thing. It is funny how quickly you adapt to your surroundings. I do need to get quickly back on the trail. When I laid my head on the pillow 10:30pm, the bed already felt like a familiar place.
I got up 7am. The leg was still stiff and sore, and not improved that much from the previous day. I took some ibuprofein and went downstairs to have breakfast. Brian had left some bagels so I ate some while having coffee and oatmeal. At least I am able to get rid of my extra hiking food.
 |
| Maybe these guys where with me in spirit? The lodge has Norwegian roots. |
Today the only people around the lodge were me and Alan. Whenever I ventured up from the basement, I chatted with Alan about various subjects. His work term at the place is coming to an end in few days, and he is thinking about whether he should find something similar and save more money or get to Portland to do something else. What is good about a job like this, he says, is that you usually get free accommodation and food, and get to be in a peacefull environment. A low stress job where you can set your own schedule, away from the city and grind.
It pays sometimes to write a blog. Telling about my plight in the web made a friend of mine, Simo, who is a skillful physiotherapeutist, contact me. He diagnosed my injury to be most probably tibialis anterior tendonitis, and gave valuable advice how to deal with it. Huge thanks, Simo! How stupid of me that I did not realise to contact him to begin with. Anyway, I incorporated his massaging instructions to my daily routine and resolved to continue hiking not before on Wednesday, as he strongly recommended.
 |
| Hard at work! Do not outsource your sewing to this guy. |
I spent some of the day to check through my gear and see what needs fixing. I did sew a sock, both of the gaiters, some, my hiking shirt some more and my backpack. With my skills the result was not great but better than nothing. I also washed the backpack for the very first time. It did not get that clean at this late point, when the sweat and dirt has completely been stained into it. I also backflushed my water filter. I have not done that nearly often enough. The flow rate starts to be a bit low.
I did a small stroll into town just to get variety to the day. I met with one hiker who was wandering the streets. He said that he thinks he recognises me from way back. I have been taking so much time off now that everybody is going past. I probably am not gonna see familiar faces anymore during rest of the hike, which is a bit sad. I finished my town visit by getting ice cream from the store. That makes 2L of the stuff three nights in a row now.
 |
| Oh no! It got him. It is all over now. |
During the evening, I did something that I have not done in 4 months: watched television. Alan invited me to watch Seinfeld's "Comedians in a Car Getting Coffee" that he finds hilarious. We watched episodes with Jim Carrey and John Oliver. I was not sold. During the day, I watched few clips of "Who is America?" from Youtube, based on a friends recommendation. That hit the nerve much better. During the day I also had a call to a friend back in Finland. It was great to talk in Finnish. In general, I have been shamefully lazy to keep in touch with friends.
It starts to feel a bit that hiking is a distant thing. It is funny how quickly you adapt to your surroundings. I do need to get quickly back on the trail. When I laid my head on the pillow 10:30pm, the bed already felt like a familiar place.
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