Date: 2004-02-21
To: Five Days and Counting
Miles today: 0.0

Well, I am now what some would call a two-digit midget. I have less than 10 days to go before the hike starts. I sent this, via PocketMail, to my wife, Jeannie, who will be my transcriber for the duration of my hike.She was going to be my hiking partner this year however back surgery, titanium rods and screws in her back and her sickly mom, changed those plans. She braved six weeks on the AT for our honeymoon in 1996 and was looking forward to the thru hike in 2004. She plans to visit me several times throughout this adventure, and that's a good thing. So, now meet my wife- Hello, I'm Jeannie. This hike has been a dream / goal of Robby's "Lopaka" for 30 plus years. When he became reacquainted with Doug "Kinloch" a couple of years ago and they started discussing doing it together I was not happy! I did not know Robby during his 27 years in the Marine Corp and I had never even considered the possibly of him being "deployed" for six months, i.e. me being left behind. Also, he went from being an "extreme athlete" while in the Corp-doing technical rock climbing and competing in triathlons including the Hawaiian Ironman seven times-to a couch potato! I was concerned about the physical demands and abuses he would undergo if he hiked over 2000 miles.Well, he's going! He has been working out several times a week for the last year and daily (sometimes two workouts a day) for the last month. He's as ready and as organized as anyone could be for this adventure. I'm not overly concerned now about the physical demands, but still cannot say I'm happy about being left behind. However, I'm making the best out of the situation by making some plans and adjustments of my own. While he's gone I'm going to oversee the construction of our vacation home in NC. I'll be driving / flying to meet Robby every month or so and can check on the house at the same time. I have a granddaughter in TN and a grandson in the Pensacola, FL area I hope to see on one or more of these trips. Here in Orlando I have two sons, one of whom is married with two year old twins and an infant. I'm sure my daughter-in-law, Laura, will welcome extra help I can give her without taking time away from my primary relationship. And I'll have a (guilt free) ball with the kids! They all love Robby, but this is a mixed blessing for them.My 84-year-old mother lives a couple of miles from us. She has Alzheimer's and has caregivers with her 24 hours a day. She is the main reason I'm not a part of the actual hike. Even though the caregivers take very good care of her, I don't want to be away from her for such an extended length of time. She probably wouldn't know the difference, but I would!Robby and I are both very involved with our church, and this will give me more time to volunteer with our homeless shelter and other activities. I've never gone on a mission trip out of the country, and might do that this summer.As Robby said earlier, I had back surgery a few years ago and have titanium rods in my back. Occasionally, my back still goes into spasms, which feel like electrical shocks. My intention had been to start the AT with "Lopaka" and "Kinloch" and if muscle fatigue or a miss step caused spasms during the first 10 or 1,000 miles; stop, take muscle relaxers and pain pills until the spasms abated, hike out and fly home. Oh, well. After the halfway point, if I developed spasms; stop; take muscle relaxers and pain pills until the spasms abated then start hiking again! This has not been a lifelong goal of mine, but if I completed half of the AT for sure I WOULD complete the second half! Oh, well, maybe Robby and I will do it together in a few years.So, my husband is going off to fulfill one of his lifelong dreams. I am very happy for him, and now just a little sad for me. He is my best friend and I'm going to miss him a lot. He has done all he could to organize the household so that I don't have any more extra aggravation than necessary, and I do appreciate his efforts. I trust God to watch over him during his adventure and hopefully keep him and his hiking partner from harm. When he returns we plan to visit my third son, a Navy pilot currently deployed to the Mid East. When Robby returns Anthony will be stationed in Hawaii, so that is something for us to look forward to doing together.I know Robby. He does not accept defeat gracefully. The one Ironman out of seven he did not finish he remembers better than the other six. So...once he puts a foot on the AT I will "strongly encourage" him to continue, baring serious injury, until he reaches his goal. Having given up his job and created major changes in our lives / lifestyle, I've now told him "You're not welcomed back until you reach Katahdin"! He has a lot of friends vicariously living his dream, so he does have added pressure to complete what he starts.Jeannie"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed with the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the wind in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain