Читать книгу The Pennine Way - the Path, the People, the Journey онлайн

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So how on earth had he managed to get this far with such debilitating injuries? Didn’t they hurt? He explained, with a wink, that he had a ‘well-stocked’ first-aid kit, by which I think he meant that there were perks to being a paramedic. He mentioned the strong painkillers that he’d been taking since day 1, plus the various foot ointments, lotions and second-skin dressings that now adorned his beleaguered digits. I got the impression that his first-aid kit not only accounted for a significant proportion of his rucksack weight but also probably contained items that were kept under lock and key in most dispensaries. When we finished breakfast, I asked to look again at his bare feet, oddly fascinated that blisters could appear in such dramatic shapes and sizes, one of them spanning several toes, and wondering at what point the patient should be hospitalised. My feet, in comparison, were blister-free and in decent shape. I took a couple of close-up photos, which made Barry hoot with laughter and Susan, who had come in to clear the table, scuttle back to the kitchen once more. Looking back at those photos afterwards, I marvelled at how he carried on. The pain might have been dulled by pills and the toes cushioned with artificial-skin dressings, but it clearly still hurt. Evidently grit and determination count for much on the Pennine Way.