Date: 2012-03-25
To: First Prep entry for 2012 thru-hike
Miles today: 0.0

2012 Thru-Hike prep....   starting Aril 2012OK... this is just getting more strange every year. As I wrote in my prep page about my plan to thru-hike the A.T. in 2011 and the issues that seem to always come up keeping me from my dream, it happened again after writing my "2011 Thru-Hike prep" in 2011.I had a full year from April of 2010 to April of 2011 to prepare and was, I believe, in the best shape of my life since completing the Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon in 1997. In the late fall of 2010 I had some problems with my left knee causing pain and actually collapsing out from under me while running. I tried braces, ibuprophen, and changing my running shoes, but nothing helped. Then in addition I had my left hamstring flare up with soreness perhaps due to the knee issue. I went to an orthopedic doctor to find I had no physical damage but some inflammation behind the knee cap. Some stronger anti-inflammatory medicine over the course of a month cleared up the knee problem, but the hamstring was still a slight problem. The knee and hamstring lasted into January before healing completely. Since I am now living in Florida (everything is flat) I wanted to make sure my leg would handle the climbing on the A.T. so at the end of February I drove 8 hours north to Amicaloa Falls State Park to hike the Approach Trail 8.8 miles to the summit of Springer Mountain and the start of the A.T. In the first 1/10th mile my knee acted up and almost collapsed under me and I thought I had driven 8 hours to hike the shortest hike of my life. I took it easy and made sure I placed my feet carefully to avoid a collapse and within a short distance I was hiking without any pain and was feeling confident I could continue on. I made it to the top of Springer in about 4 hours just in time to set up my tent and have dinner before darkness set in.The next morning I felt great and with my pack at 30 pounds set out north for Hawk Mountain shelter 8 miles up the trail. My plan was to go as far as I felt comfortable but hoping to be able to get to Hawk Mountain then turn around and come back to Springer again for the 2nd night and a total non-stop hike of 16 miles. I was amazed that my knee and hamstring or any other muscle group never acted up and my cardiovascular was up to the task of hiking the ups and downs of the trail. I arrived at Hawk Mountain shelter where I met a few thru-hikers and had lunch. I only stayed and rested about 20 minutes because the weather forecast was for strong thunder storms to move into the area later in the day.My return trip was again comfortable and I wasn't at all tired or sore. I enjoyed being back in the woods and cool air of the north Georgia mountains. With only 1 1/2 miles to go the weather started to turn bad. At first the rain fell gently enough that I didn't bother to put on my rain jacket. Then just short of the road crossing 9/10's of a mile from the summit of Springer all hell broke loose. The rain came down as hard as I've seen it in Florida and the wind started to pick up. I made it to the road crossing where I was able to get under a small roof covering the A.T. sign and put on my rain jacket. As I headed up the last 9/10 mile before Springer shelter I was broad sided from the right with strong winds and rain that hit me so hard it felt more like hail. Then the thunder and lightning started. I was in too open an area on the trail to seek cover and almost ran hoping my knee and hamstring wouldn't fail me now. I made it to the shelter in what had to be record time. There were a few other hikers there and they made room for me trying to avoid getting wet from me being drenched from the rain. I knew enough to get out of my wet clothes as quickly as possible and into dry gear. I stripped completely shivering from the cold and wind, but recovered once I was able to huddle in the corner of the shelter away from the weather with dry clothes. The rain and wind kept up for about an hour before I could venture out to get some water for dinner and eat a warm meal.That night there was only 1 other hiker in the shelter with me as the others had their tents set up. I didn't set my tent up since the wind never stopped and my tent would have been tough to set up. The other hiker slept in the loft while I stayed on the lower floor. The weather didn't deter the mice and between them and the strong wind neither the hiker in the loft or I got much sleep. The morning light came to reveal fog so thick you couldn't see but a few feet from the shelter, the temperature was 33`.   I made 2 cups of hot chocolate and ate a snickers bar for breakfast before doing what all hikers hate doing..... changing back into soaking wet clothes for the hike back down to Amicalola Falls.   As soon as I had the last piece of clothing on I put my pack on and headed for home. Just as I was preparing to leave, what must have been a cloud covering the summit moved away revealing a beautiful, but cold clear blue sky.I hiked the short distance to the summit with the guy who had spent the night in the loft and found out that he lived in New Boston, N.H. only a few miles from where I had lived. We took each other's photo standing beside the metal plaque and white blaze declaring this as the beginning to the A.T.   I wished him good luck on his thru-hike and told him I had better not catch up to him since I would be back to head north in 1 month for my 5th attempt at completing my dream of what was now 40 years in the making. I was a little sad as he headed north and I headed south, but was relieved knowing I would be back soon and that my legs and lungs were capable of handling my adventure in just over a month's time.If I had known then what lay ahead for me in just a couple of weeks I may have turned and headed north with him, but just like the trail, you never know what lies just around that next turn.Disaster strikes again.....!!!!!   With just 3 weeks to go before starting my hike on April 6th, 2011 I thought I noticed some soreness in my lower crotch just as had happened in 2010. I didn't want to believe it and thought I was imaging it being aware of all the times something came up to keep me from hiking the A.T. in other years. Eventually a few days later I knew it wasn't my imagination and called for an appointment with my urologist. I wouldn't be able to see him for 2 weeks and to be safe I once again went on anti-biotics. Just as I did last year I went on the anti-biotic named Levequinn. This anti-biotic has the terrible effect of attacking your tendons and users are cautioned about the possibility of rupturing your Achilles Tendon. The urologist wasn't able to check for bacterial infection as opposed to a muscle strain since I had been on the anti-biotic for 2 weeks before seeing him and now protocol called for being on this drug for a total of 6 weeks as opposed to the 4 weeks I was on it last year.He recommended the supplement Co Q10 to offset the effects of the drug, but it didn't help very much. I still hoped I would be able to start my hike perhaps a week or 2 later than I had planned, but the effects of the Levequinn caused me to barely be able to walk since the soreness and stiffness in my leg muscles made me feel like a 100 year old man with severe arthritis.It is now the end of May 2011 as I write this and I'm still having muscle soreness and hamstring tendentious, but am able to run slowly and carefully achieving 4 miles non-stop. It's not the 10 miles I was able to run before, but I feel I'm improving everyday. I know friends think I'm crazy and suggest that perhaps "someone", because of my history, is telling me to give up on my dream of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine for 2,178 miles, but after what is now 11 years of planning, preparation, and attempts it's in my blood, and if any of you reading this have hiked the A.T. you know the effects of what is called "Springer Fever" and how it's like a drug drawing you back to Springer every spring to experience what is for me, when I'm happiest. So.... 11 months to go. Perhaps God has saved my hike for 2012 when He has plans for me to save someone's life .....maybe my own. If I put my feet upon the trail next April I will have just turned 65, but as I've stated before my mind still feels like I'm in my early 30's and I'm ready for the challenges of the trail.You know I'm praying everyday......"Ironman"