“We have a long way to go Julie. We have to push ourselves to reach the site before dark.” While true that I worried about our reaching the site ahead of the dark, my real fear was the pain from the loaded backpack. Ten minutes ago I considered it just a temporary irritation, but now it had grown into a real strain on my back and shoulders, and it was an exertion to walk, even on level ground. Rather than yielding to defeat, I felt it best to travel another mile of two and possibly sedate the pain through a softer hiking stride. Not until I had exhausted every possible option, which included a dose of extra-strength ibuprofen, did I not want to surrender to my pain, or speak to Julie about my problems. Since she was ten, we've completed about 40-day hikes in the Smokies, totaling almost 300 miles, and most of that mileage, if not all, were tougher than any we would encounter on Lakeshore Trail.…