Day 82; Tues July 17 2007

(Stud) We had 12-14 miles into Old Station today on one of the flattest terrains to date. Given that town food was calling I'd normally be flying down the trail, but it seems I have shin splints. It started a few days ago in my left leg, and today I started having problems with my right leg as well. For now, I'm walking a bit slower and taking ibuprofin and hoping it will just magically dissappear.

We arrived in Old Station around noon and had lunch at the deli/small grocery next to the tiny PO. A retired couple, Georgi and Dennis Heitman, live here and open up the home to hikers. We happened to be at the deli when Dennis stopped by to pick up some other hikers--Rest Stop, Hell on Wheels and Stormin Noreman--so we went along as well. Dwight would have preferred to stay in the small hotel there, but I'd read and heard so much about the Heitmans, I wanted to come here. They have a log home that Dennis built, along with several other outbuildings including a very cool tree house which has cots for hikers. They also have some tents set up in their back yard that hikers can use. We were able to shower, do laundry, and use the internet. They have a refigerator full of free soft drinks and they fed us a dinner of chili, salad, rice and corn. I soaked my feet and ankles in the ice cold creek running through their back yard for as long as I could stand it. All of the He!
itman's services are free but tips are accepted. It continues to amaze and puzzle me that folks do this for hikers.

Besides the hikers mentioned above, the 4 Bears, a family from Alaska section hiking, are also here, as well as a thru-hiker named Chigger who is trying to recover from bronchitis and strept throat. (Chigger is friends with folks we hiked with on the AT: Shera and Just Another Joe. Amazing how small the long-distance hiking community is.) Riley also arrived later in the day. Georgi Heitman takes pictures and keeps an index card of info on all hikers that stop by--and they've had around 45 thru-hikers so far.