Date: 2006-04-28
To: It's Harder Than I Thought 
Miles today: 0.0

By RightyAs you already know, Lefty and I don¢t agree on many things. Here¢s just another example. For the last two weeks I¢ve been listening to her make comments after our days hike is done. She says things like, "Wow, wasn't that exhilarating!" or "It was an easy day.¢ After a 16 mile hike she said ¢Gosh, that wasn¢t so bad.¢ I¢m thinking, are we hiking the SAME trail??? After a second 1,000 foot accent in a 3 mile period, when all my oxygen has gone to my leg muscles and yet my muscles still spasm, my heart is beating so fast it feels like it will come out of my chest, and I feel light headed when I stand up straight ¢¦ I don¢t feel exhilarated¢¦. I feel exhausted!! When we have an easy day, meaning we carry a light pack instead of a heavy one, it¢s still a HARD day for me! When we hike anything over 10 miles a day, it¢s a HARD day.It¢s probably not so much a difference of opinion as a different perspective. I knew it would be HARD, but I didn¢t expect it to be this hard. I¢d heard that you don¢t have to be in great shape when you start, that you get in condition as you hike. Well, I don¢t believe that anymore. It¢s been 2 12 weeks and I¢m still not in shape and it's still difficult for me. First, I¢d like to say that my age has played a role; but, I¢ve hiked with a friend (Pappy) who is 13 years older (75 now) who literally ¢runs¢ up the mountain. And, to add insult to injury, his friend, Louise, who had never hiked a day in her life is finished before me. Second, I had knee surgery last fall and I have almost no strength in my right knee. This was a real concern, but I felt confident I could work around it. It¢s still a real concern and the ¢working around it¢ is just dealing with the pain. Unfortunately, I¢m afraid that only someone else with knee problems will understand this.Lefty was so surprised when I told her that there had been a couple of times when I just wanted to quit and go home. The first time was on day 5 , the first time we carried a full pack. My pack weighed 36 pounds ¢¦ heavier than either Lefty or Bouy's because of all their high-tech, light gear. Pappy¢s pack was the only one that was heavier than mine and that was because he carried both his and Louise¢s stuff. With my bad knee, I was prepared for the down hills to be difficult and painful. What I wasn¢t prepared for was that with a heavy pack, the up hills were painful also. During a long up hill stretch, I became so overwhelmed that I just sat down and cried. This was the first time I felt like maybe I wouldn¢t be able to make it. The second time was a week later when we did our first LONG (16 miles) hike. Since I was bringing up the rear, I tried to figure out what I could do to hike a little faster. It seemed like I can only hike about 2 miles an hour no matter what the terrain. I know I have to be very careful going downhill and that means using my poles and getting my right foot situated ¢just so¢ so I don¢t twist my knee. I also have to be careful going up hill now. So, my thought was to try to make up some time on the flats (of which there are not many) or the slight declines. This means doing a little jogging. I worked well for a short time, until I landed just a little ¢off¢ and got an excruciating pain in the knee. It was all just so frustrating to realize that I probably would never be able to hike better than 2 miles an hour no matter what. I am smart enough to realize I can¢t re injure this knee. If I do, I¢ll probably be out of commission completely. Again, very frustrating and depressing; but just the way things are.Well, now we¢re starting week 3 and I¢m still hanging in there. I don¢t have any answers so I just go slowly and put one foot in front of the other. I¢m hoping someday I¢ll be able to say ¢Wow, that was an easy day!!¢