Date: 2022-10-17
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Doc texted me at 2:45:¢Are you back on campus? I saw you walk out earlier.¢¢We're here¢¢I'm at the bus, spoke with Dr. Helvey.¢¢On my way.¢Joni and I headed to the bus.Dr Helvey is a orthopedist-friend of Doc¢s. Doc had reached out to him after seeing the X-rays and the radiologist report, curious what his thoughts about our situation were.¢Dr Helvey says, based on the X-rays and the symptoms Texas Pete is describing, that he has a hairline fracture in his tibia. He shouldn¢t put weight on it for 4 to 6 weeks. Hiking is out of the question.¢Joni and I, naturally, had a lot of questions about the leg and the recovery process. Doc had good answers for everything.¢What¢s your Plan B?¢, she asked.Joni and I have thought at length about Plan B. We¢ve heard that as few as 1 in 5 aspiring hikers complete a thru hike. Many are forced to quit because of injury. I¢ve jokingly said, before we left, that we need a Plan B in case someone breaks a leg.Here we are.Because Joni I and have thought so much about this possibility, the news wasn¢t overwhelming or ¢doomsday¢ to us. We¢ll get the van, put me and Baxter in it, and shadow the ¢trail-crew¢ south while they keep logging the miles. In 4(ish) weeks, we¢ll try weight on Baxter¢s leg and hopefully get back on the trail. Baxter and I will do ¢van life¢ for a month.Why me in the van and not Joni? She feels more comfortable - safer - camping in the woods than she does sleeping in the van at a trailhead. Though we will never be far apart, and many nights, I¢m sure, will be spent together at road crossings, it¢s true that the norm will likely be her in a tent in the trail while I¢m in the van at trailhead parking somewhere.Baxter and I both want to come back to Pearisburg next summer and head south, completing the miles we¢re missing this fall. If he and I can hike the 499.2 miles between here and The Nantahala Outdoor Center, we will have hiked the entire trail. We could call ourselves 2000-milers. We¢re all into that!Joni and I took a walk together just after we left the bus so we could digest the news before we told the boys (who were back in the relax shack watching YouTube). We feel good about Plan B. We can do this. We can be proud of it.Baxter, surprisingly, took the news best of any of us (maybe not surprisingly - he¢s that kind of guy). Grayson and Jasper weren¢t nearly as quick to warm up to the change of plans. Grayson was upset that his two trail buddies weren¢t going to be around. Jasper was as disappointed as he¢s ever been, unsure what ¢success¢ even looks like anymore. It¢s tough talking a team through the hard losses, especially a young team. While Plan B is no one¢s first choice, I¢m sure this one will start to work well in the coming days.I spent much of this evening in the phone with the in-laws and the out-laws. It looks like my dad will be driving the van to Woods Hole Hostel tomorrow evening. He¢ll stay the night with us and, weather permitting, Mike Stewart will fly up and pilot dad back home. If the weather turns too windy then Jordan can drive up on Wednesday and take dad back to Georgia.I sent dad a list of the things we¢d like to have in the van and where he might be able to find them at our house:From the Shed¢¢ Green 2 Burner Stove¢¢ White 3 Drawer Stacker (high on top shelf)¢¢ 2 Blue Camp Chairs¢¢ Skillet (wrapped in red tshirt, maybe in a bin on the shelves nearest the door)¢¢ Coleman Cooler, blue¢¢ White folding table¢¢ Coleman lantern in red carrier (probably to the right near the floor as you walk in)From the Garage¢¢ Camp Axe (blue handle Estwing with leather blade cover, maybe in top drawer of toolbox. Key is in the cabinet above I hope)¢¢ Yellow extension cord, 20 ft (in the cabinet over toolbox, NOT the long one in the wall)From our Gear Boxes¢¢ Copper Spur 4 person tent¢¢ Nintendo Switch¢¢ Black Altras size 14 (???)From 3637¢¢ CrutchesFrom Schoolroom closet (optional)¢¢ 2 Pendleton shirts (in a white paper box or a gray Rubbermaid bin. Probably labeled)¢¢ Khaki Carhartt jeans¢¢ Leather moccasins¢¢ Chess setFrom Liz¢s house¢¢ 2 pair Altras size 10.5¢¢ Any remaining mountain House mealsThese things ought to allow Baxter and I to cook meals, organize the van, and stay occupied.