Date: 2003-06-13
From: nowhere

Miles today: 0.0

Guess who's getting back on the trail????I went to see the doc. this morning, and have nothing major (I guess) wrong w/ my knee. The problem I initially had simply did not heal properly, and tightened up one of my tendons around the knee, which, in turned caused "ilio-tibial band friction syndrome." It is basically what it sounds like. The tightened tendon rubs on the bone it goes around too much, and causes friction, inflammation, and pain. So.....all I need to do is rest it w/ ice for a few more days, and start a little light physiotherapy on it, which I can do out on the trail, and ice it down daily after my hike. Very possible...but I will have to carry around a bunch of those little cold packs. More weight is not what I wanted, but it will be a must if it gets me back on the trail. Of course, the doc. also suggested I try to avoid downhills when possible, and try not to walk on uneven, sideway paths. Ya, ok. That's going to happen (wondering if he actually understands what the AT is at this point). Details, details. I'm getting back on the trail! I plan to leave out of here Tuesday, and will get back to Damascus by Wednesday afternoon. Probably not in time to hike it to the nearest shelter (but you never know).....so I will definitely be back on by Thursday. Now that this is all settled, let me tell you a little about going back into the "regular" pace, when being out for the month and a half I have been. It sucks. It REALLY sucks. In a nutshell, it blows.You live your life everyday out in the "real world" with the drama, concern, and care for such petty things without batting an eye. It's normal for you, because it's almost a daily occurence. When you actually get out of this web for a few months, and just simply survive, these things just don't matter anymore. 90 percent of what you used to really concern yourself with suddenly seems silly, and stupid. You start wondering what made you care about these things in the first place, then you realize that a lot of people you once surrounded yourself with still are actively consumed in all of the crap that you can now see as . . . simply crap. I had an experience last night that just really made me stop and think about all of this last night. I had friends catching me up on the usual drama that was once an everyday occurence to me, and I immediately started daydreaming about how nice it is out on the trail, where none of this matters. Then I realize that none of it really does matter, but how can I honestly open the eyes of others to see this? I soon came to realize that I can't. This is the world they are comfortable in, and it's simply not my world anymore. It's something I just cannot handle at this time. As much as I still want to hang out with these people a bit more before I go (some have been friends for months, others for years), I realized, last night, that I simply can't handle the petty shit that they envelope themselves in sometimes, because it's just not healthy. It's not worth it. It also made me realize just how much I really want to be back on the trail. Anyway...I'm stopping now, because I don't want others that are on the trail to get any more freaked out about returning to their own real worlds. Life is sometimes bittersweet (as a lot of us may soon find out), and the only thing you can do is move forward. So, with that in mind....***Interesting sidebar***It has rained out on the trail a good majority of the time I have been out. In the past month, it has not rained a single drop in Houston, Texas.I get home, and it has rained 3 out of 5 days that I have been here, with more rain in the forecast for the next few days.Hmmm.....