Date: 2016-12-03
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I've been home now for three months! Well my flight home was miserable, I was still sick. Once I got home I saw my doctor she tested me for Giardia. My first test came back negative. I experienced symptoms another three days and called my doctor again. She had me tested again this time the tests confirmed I had Giardia!After taking my prescribed meds for 10 days I was cured! Two weeks after being home I went to Death Valley to hike the "Lowest to Highest" route. I was unsuccessful. After 50 miles over two days in 100 degree temperatures, I just wasn't feeling it. NORM (a hiking partner that can actually put up with me) and I decided to quit after two days and then spent the next three days exploring Owen's Valley.I've had a lot of time to reflect on the AT. For prospective AT hikers I want to be brutally honest about the challenges it presented for me. This hike is a physical challenge. The hills are extremely steep so uphill climbs will test your strength and cardiovascular fitness, the downhills will test your balance and your knees. I'm fortunate that my knees are good, I felt for the hikers that had knee problems. I don't know if I would do the AT if I had knee problems.The humidity of the south was also a challenge for me. I experienced heat exhaustion one day I think it was a combination of being tired and from drinking too much water without replacing electrolytes. The biggest danger I witnessed though is the presence of Lyme's Disease. The amount of hikers I came into contact with this insidious disease shocked me. I was fortunate that I did not contact it though I was bitten by ticks at least three times that I know of. I checked myself daily and wore long sleeves and pants the majority of the time. I was often questioned by other hikers for wearing pants and long sleeves with a statement along the lines, "Aren't you miserable wearing that?" I usually answered, "No, not really." I don't think I'll thru hike the AT again just because of Lyme's Disease, I know too many people that have the disease and it appears in their cases it is incurable. I don't think it is worth the risk of contacting Lyme's Disease to repeat the trail. Then again I'm not to big on repeating any trail with the exception of the ones I did not complete.With that said I'm glad I did it. I witnessed some incredible scenery. I met some incredible people. I believe the trail is a must do for addicted thru hikers. For others I would suggest they try other trails first before attempting the AT. This is just my opinion because I met several first time thru hikers such as Achilles who did great on his first thru hike who had no problem completing it. He and others were an exception the majority of hikers I met did not finish the trail. It was especially heartbreaking to see so many hikers quit after the first 50 miles.Speaking of Achilles I was glad I was able to hike almost 2000 miles with him before he eventually tired of me. That is almost as big of an accomplishment for a hiker as completing the AT, I'm not an easy person to hike with. I was asked by "Crossroads" in the guest book if I finished before Achilles. The answer is that I did by three days. Achilles is a much faster hiker then me but my experience makes up for that especially in the logistics part of hiking. The last time I saw him it was right after the two thousand mile mark where we both were at a trailhead receiving some trail magic. He had to hitch into town to get supplies. One of his statements to me was that I was great at logistics. At this point I think he realized that he was going to finish behind me. Another advantage I had was my endurance. Once I quit hiking with him at his much faster pace I was able to start the day at my much slower pace. I then was able to warm up at a much more comfortable rate and eventually reach a much faster pace at the end of the day. I also was able to hike longer. These last three months I have recovered fully from all my small injuries. I have continued to hike almost daily usually hiking twice a day getting in a total of 8 to 10 miles in. My goal is to get back the half step I lost the past three years from age. To do this I've added running back into my workouts. Well maybe I shouldn't call what I do running, it is pretty slow compared to what I used to be able to do. I also just got my mountain bike fixed, I haven't ridden it in three years. I think the combination of running and mountain biking with my hiking hills will get that half step back!