Friday, May 20 - Day 57 - Mile 584.3 - Bland VA
Restful night and on the trail early for a 12 mile walk to the road to Bland by 11:30.
This morning was finally sunny and warm. The hike was by far the easiest to date. Gradual ups & downs and plenty of level stretches. When we got to the road to Bland we tried unsuccessfully to hitch the 3 1/2 miles into town. (word on the trail was that locals won't pick up hikers) We decided to just continue hiking even though it would be nice to dry out in town for a while. I had a small blister working from wet socks so I decided to attend to that before we started back. Low and behold a hiker from NJ who had just finished a 4 day hike stopped to give us a ride into town. He and his buddy said they had hoped to find some hikers to help. Not only did they pick us up, but they we're going to the same place we were to have the best milkshake on the trail. More trail magic.
There's a hotel just across the street from the restaurant so we're spending the night, drying out our tents and hand washing our clothes. The nearest launder-mat is in the next town. Bland is a very small town.
Tomorrow we've arranged for a shuttle to take us back to the trail head after breakfast. Things continue to go amazingly well for us. Likely in no small part due to all the prayers coming from every direction.
We couldn't be having a better time.
Lots of love,
Trolley Stop
How To Treat Blisters:
ReplyDeleteIf the blister has not torn and is full of liquid, pierce it from the side with a sterile needle at its base. Do not use a match to sterilize the instrument that you will use to pierce the blister --fire will oxidize any coatings on the metal and leave black, sooty particulate that can cause an infection.
Let all the fluid run out.
Before draining or treating the blister, buy a special blister plaster and put in onto the blister. This is medicated and will dry the blister, so you may not need to take any further action.
Put a layer of moleskin over the blister area. You may cut a doughnut shaped piece of moleskin that fits around the blister rather than directly on it.
If the blister has torn already, carefully cut away the loose skin of the blister and treat the area with antiseptic.
Allow the blister to dry and harden in the open air for as long as you can.
Do not pierce intact blisters that are deep, rather than just the top few layers of skin. Just apply a moleskin doughnut to relieve the friction and monitor the blister.
When you need to resume hiking, put a bandaid or gauze over a torn blister.
Check the blister at each stop and give it as much time to dry off as you can whenever you can. Keep it clean and sterilized to prevent infection.
Trolley: Looks like moleskin or blister plaster are the best remedies for serious blisters. I hope you're packing those things, otherwise, get someone to ship you some, or hitch a ride to CVS.
Lots of Love,
D&K [R]xo :)