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Ever since starting this journey, I’ve carried a healthy amount of paranoia that something dumb might happen to my body and force me off trail. At the same time, I’ve also had that kind of blind optimism like, “Eh, nothing’s going to happen to me—that only happens to other people.”
After an unsuccessful visit to the nonexistent urgent care in Hiawassee, I decided to buy an ingrown toenail kit from CVS, get back on trail with Dos y Dos and Strider, and hope for the best.
Me and Strider
Well, by day 8, my foot was still getting worse.
I was really in my head about whether I was doing the right thing by staying on trail, so I decided to head back into town and go to the ER. They weren’t incredibly helpful—they told me to stay off my foot to reduce infection risk until I could see a podiatrist. And while I was heading there, I got a notification from my bank that my debit card info had been stolen.
Just. One. Thing. After. Another.
Hanging out in the ER
The podiatrist wasn’t available for several days, and everyone in my life was advising me not to risk hiking without proper care. When I did finally get in, the podiatrist confirmed I needed a minor surgery to remove the ingrown toenail and start antibiotics for the popped blister infections.
The surgery itself? Wild. SUPER sweet doctor overflowing with Southern hospitality, but it was surreal to watch him dig into my numbed-out foot and feel nothing.
What I wasn’t prepared for was being told I needed to stay off the trail for three weeks to let things fully heal and avoid infection. In hindsight, that makes total sense—but in the moment, it completely blindsided me. I had planned to be back on trail the same day! I had no clue where I was staying or what I was going to do. The thought of being stuck in town for that long felt unbearable (and expensive).
After checking in with family, I made the call to head back to Michigan to rest, recover, and figure out my next steps.
Cue heartbreak.
I was just getting into a groove, and suddenly everything had to pause. But even through the disappointment, I’m reminded how lucky I am to have such a solid support system.
Post-surgery foot 😥
And honestly? Trail magic still finds a way.
Tree, Behind the Scenes, and Sunset all heard about my situation and worked with a local hostel to get me a ride into town for food. The love and support from the trail community has been unbelievable. I keep catching myself in the “you should be doing this” or “you should still be out there” mindset, but these friends helped ground me.
Everyone’s been telling me the same thing: “You’re doing the smart thing. Take care of your foot now so you can finish the journey later.”
This whole experience has also made me think more deeply about healthcare access. I’ve been incredibly privileged in my life to have easy access to care. But even for something as seemingly simple as an ingrown toenail, it felt like I had to jump through a thousand hoops. And yet—I still had people in my corner helping me through all of it.
I can’t imagine how overwhelming this would’ve been without that support. It’s really opened my eyes to how isolating and frustrating navigating the medical system can be—especially without help.
So what’s next?
My plan is to get back on trail ASAP, but I know I’ll need to be flexible. I’ve gotten a lot of advice to take it slower—shorter days, more breaks—even when I feel ready for bigger miles.
Back to Michigan…
It’s also been a goal of mine to make it to Trail Days, and since I’ll need to slow my roll, that probably means I’ll have to resume my journey farther north. Milk Money helped shift my mindset around flip-flopping, and while I was originally set on finishing at Katahdin, I might need to let that go for now.
Hopefully, this pause is for the best. It’s given me time to dial in gear, research injury prevention, and reconnect with people I love.
Everyone on trail has been INSANELY supportive of this decision to take a break, and I can’t thank them enough for keeping me out of my own spiral.
Left to Right: Pumba (me), Sunset, Tree, Behind the Scenes
Biggest lesson so far?
TAKE CARE OF YOUR FEET.
I spent so much time training my legs and building endurance, but didn’t give my feet enough thought. Going forward, it’s foot care, foot care, foot care.
That’s the update from Michigan. Hoping to be back out there super soon!
Pumba out!
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