Date: 2007-07-21
From: Palmerton, PA.

To: Greewood Lake NY
Miles today: 104.0

It has been a while since I updated my journal. I'll summarize the past 10 days. Once I left Pennsylvania I breathed a sigh of relief as the rocks disappeared within a mile into New Jersey. The trail became fun again. Twenty mile days is not only feasible again, it is a pleasure.   I made my way through Wind Gap, the Delaware Water Gap, Mohican Outdoor Camp, High Point, Vernon and Greenwood Lake, New York. I must tell you, this country of ours is spectacular and you will never get a better chance to see it than from a trailside perspective. After all the treacherous terrain I have covered, I picked an easy treadway in Pochuck Mountain to lose my focus, then my balance and then fall with disastrous results. As soon as I fell I knew it was a fatal error. Something was broken and I feared it might be my kidney as that is where I squarely landed among the rocks. I had to hike out about a mile and a half with my friend Dr. Peter Block to a boys' summer camp (LouEmma) from where they called the ambulance. The initial reading was "no significant findings." After I got back to the hiker hotel the attending physician from St. Clare's Hosipatal in Sussex, called the home contact phone number I had left with the hospital and left a message on my home phone that the radiologist had reviewed my films and found "cracks in my back" and they needed to get in touch with me. I had not told Barb of my fall and since I thought there were "no findings" I had chosen to tell her the next day when she would arrive as scheduled. You can imagine Barb's state of mind when she retrieved that message.   She called me and informed me "I had some 'splainin' to do." At this point I don't know which hurts worse, my back or my ass from the chewin'. Dr. Peter Block has been super throughout this ordeal and was able to get me a consult with an orthopoedic surgeon on a pro bono basis. That was significant as the administrative process to go through Tri Care Prime insurance was so tortuous as to be nearly impossible although Barb was giving a heroic try. Dr Kamalian informed me that the two fractures of the right transverse processeses of L-2 and L-3 were not life threatening, I would not need a body cast or brace and that within a few weeks when I could tolerate the pain I would be ready to resume normal activities.   I have spent the last 3 days with Barb helping me get in and out of bed, chair and clothes and trying to calculate whether I could finish this hike within the time I have left considering weather and other factors.   Everyone around me seems to have come to the conclusion before me but they were waiting for me to reach it on my own. It is just not feasible to continue and this decision is more devastating than any of you can imagine. I am in the best shape of my life, I've dropped to 165 lbs (from a start of about 205 lbs,) I'm capable of 20+ miles per day on a consistent basis and there is nothing the trail could throw at me now that I could not handle. I have even considered the fact that I would probably be the first thru-hiker to finish the AT after suffering a broken back within the same year. Unfortunately, there is insufficient time to heal and still allow me to complete the trail before weather becomes a factor. I will stay here at Greenwood Lake, NY until Friday when I hope I will be able to travel to the airport and return to Arkansas with Barb for the long term recuperation. In any case, I have obligations beginning mid November of this year in Idaho and fully intend to meet them. Some of you will be understandably disappointed for me. Please do not be. Perhaps some day I will complete the remaining 800+ miles of the (2,150) AT but whether I do or not, I am completely at peace with myself and thankful for the opportunity to meet some incredible people. In the end it is all about the people you meet along the way and so I say "until we meet again" to an incredible cast of characters: Bum-Bum, Toodles, Gretchen, Rosy, Baltimore Jack, The Hobbits (1,2&3) The Dude, JB, Pike County, Fuzzy Monkey, Lunar, Luna, Torpedo, Josh and Sara, Sweetwater, Tortuga, Vegas, Skip, Peter, Plodder, Gray Turtle, Barking Spider, Chef, Talker Man, Young Eagle, Sprocket, Mama Hen, Director, Just Bill, Just Jack, Thumper, Tree Work, Wolfhound, C-Shot (and parents Dianah and Jonathan), SoCo, Ox, Nuclear and Ox, Mowgli, Bird Star, Flax Seed, Blue Dog (and parents Barbara and Annon,) Way, Further, Tenacious, Grambo, Jumbo, August, Mountain Squid, Can do-Will do, Smokestack, Mother Nature, Big Shanty, Ryan, Church Mouse, Baggins, Peach, Nuttella, Blue and Caboosey, Gazelle, Unicycle, Spock, Lightweight and Popeye who I think has more unrealized potential than any young man I have met in a long time. I expect to have some pictures posted on this journal in the next few weeks so please check back later. If you have the time and inclination I highly suggest walking the Appalachian Trail. It will change you forever.