Date: 2009-07-26
To: Post Hike # 3
Miles today: 0.0

C6 notesWhat a range of emotions since we got off the trail. I'll be fine and then all of a sudden I'll see or hear something and feel sad about being off the trail. These emotions are normal when one experiences a loss. This loss is not a major life issue, but it is a change in plans and the end of a major adventure in the way I thought it would be (thru-hike in one season), so there is an adjustment of my expectations. There is a mourning process when one lets go of a goal. NOTHING like when one experiences the death of a loved one. In comparison to that loss this is just a hiccup, but there still IS an adjustment period.When I see (on TV) all the bad weather in VT and NH where our hiking friends are now I feel bad for them, but I also feel relief to not be hiking in the rain and thunderstorms.My head often doesn't feel "normal." It's hard to explain, but at times I feel off balance. It's as if I'll get dizzy if I turn my head too quickly. So I don't turn my head quickly and I haven't had another serious dizzy spell since the first 2 or 3 >nights after the fall in PA.Since my fall on the PA rocks my balance has been not as good as it was before the fall. I think that was a factor in my last fall (from the board in MA). I hated when there were single boards over swamps. In some swampy areas there are two 2 x 6 boards placed side by side. And in some areas they are single boards - either about 8" to 10" wide, or just one 2 x 6 board. I'm thankful the board I fell from was not a foot above a watery swamp area! The scrapes on my face from the moss were not pleasant, but I think but I think it would have been worse if I ended up in a foot of swamp water and would have had to get back up on the boards!Since we had completely emptied (and turned off) our refrigerator before we left to hike, we had to restock it. We bought groceries Friday and I found I didn't want to get everything and not a lot of food. I think that's because when we are completely restocked it means we are definitely finished with our thru-hike for this season and I don't completely want to accept that yet. I know we will not complete it this season, but that doesn't mean I totally want to accept that reality yet.I know I can't go back until my head is straightened out. And I don't want to be hiking in rain and thunderstorms, but there are a lot of things about the hike that I miss. Especially the friends we made and the fun we had with our fellow hikers.We have wonderful memories from the hike, and I hope to finish the whole AT at some point. I so appreciate the wonderful notes sent to us through Trail Journals. Thank you for being so supportive and encouraging.One person who wrote a note is Red Leg. Turns out he's off the trail as well. We had gotten separated due to family visits, etc., so we didn't know where he was. We're sorry to hear you got off, Red Leg. We wish you the best.We already rejoined the local YMCA and plan to work out as often as we can. It felt good to be able to work out at a very high level yesterday...much higher than before we started hiking. I liked that! Now we want to maintain what we accomplished on the trail.When I got on our home scale (which was my gauge before we left), I found my weight is lower than I thought it was. I lost 27 pounds on the trail, and that was too much weight for me to lose. I need to put about 5 pounds back on. It will be a challenge to put those pounds back on and then stop there. It's hard to not be able to eat everything in sight any more. We plan to go to Weight Watchers meetings at the YMCA to help us keep the weight off. We're both life members, but their material keeps changing. We want to get the most current materials and it helps to stay on track when one attends the meetings regularly.Old Goat & Check Six