Date: 2018-07-02
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Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

The next morning after I got home on Thursday I called my doctor and got an appointment for early that afternoon. I was still sick, but the bouts in the bathroom were less frequent and under control. My gut was still sounding like plumbing in need of repair. The doctor explained how she could not prescribe medication without knowing the source of the problem. Was it giardiasis? Was it e-coli? Every bug needs a different weapon. So she sent me away with three sets of ¢sample¢ collection kits which I have since delivered to the lab for analysis. But now it¢s Monday and I¢m pretty much recovered and doubt I¢ll need any medication.One of the first things I did when I got home was to call Second Chance, the hiker that was to be my partner for the July New Hampshire hike to inform her that my doctor had nixed my hiking for any time this week. I feel bad for letting her down. When I spoke with her again today she told me she was planning to go ahead and hike New Hampshire without me and that she was already up north in Warwick, NY. I wish her a good and safe hike and I¢ll be checking in with her. So what about me? I¢m not able to complete New Hampshire before a family commitment later this month. I¢m beginning to form a plan that has me filling in the gaps remaining down south. That will include the Smokies which I look forward to hiking with Second Chance. By the end of this year I¢d like to have hiked everything from Springer to Boiling Springs, PA along with NJ, NY, CT and MA which I¢ve already completed. That would leave PA, VT, NH and ME for next year and maybe beyond. It¢s been a learning experience. Once I gave up on completing a thru hike this year due to the overuse injuries I was experiencing and set my sites on a more modest goal of completing the entire AT by next year, my attitude, motivation, and level of commitment changed. For many years I¢d been enthusiastic about a thru hike once I retired. I believed that I had the right mental attitude that would allow me to finish short of a serious injury or illness. But then after nearly three months on the trail chasing that goal through some very challenging winter weather conditions, two bouts of shin splints were enough to derail my goal. I know other hikers would have jumped back on the trail after a few days of rest and gone on to summit Katahdin.Why was I willing to give up on the thru hike so easily? One thing I¢ve learned is that even after growing my ¢trail legs¢, I remained a relatively slow hiker. And when it comes to steep rocky ascents and descents, my wobbly balance and aversion to risk of fall and injury slowed me to a crawl. I learned that while 20 mile days are within my grasp, they take a real toll on my feet and can¢t be sustained on any kind of regular basis. And the long days get me into camp much later than I prefer. For me, camp is an opportunity to relax, socialize, have a leisurely dinner, and climb into my hammock early enough to write my journal, call Joan, read my book, and still get enough sleep to wake at 5:00 to be hiking by 6:30. All this and taking time off to recover my shins was adding pressure to my schedule. I was also missing home life, my wife and friends, enjoying the lake house in the Catskills more than I¢d expected. Enough. I¢ll get a plan going for the rest of the hiking season and share it here.