Date: 2005-05-11
From: Home

To: home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Oh joy - I'm going back to the trail for sure!!!Yesterday's 7 mile hike went extremely well. It was over a relatively tough section of the AT near here, the infamous "roller coaster", with lots of nice rocks and roots to test my knee and my footing. It felt great to be hiking the AT again with a full pack, and the knee not only held up well on the trail, it did well after I got back. Even better, as happened after my hike on Saturday with just a day pack, the knee feels even better this morning. Apparently, hiking is a good way to help strengthen the knee - which is obviously encouraging!I could have gone much further, but I had to get back to town for my final check up with my knee surgeon, the good Dr. Madden. I am thrilled to report that the X-rays showed "really good bone formation" around the stress fracture of the tibia. He said that, in an ideal world, I'd stay off the trail and just do rehab work for several months, but he said he understood people's desire to get on with their lives, so - to quote him: "Get on out there and live your life!". You can understand why I love this guy! So, all systems are a go, and I will be back in the Smokeys by this time next Monday. I am also pleased to see from Phoenix's journal that he will be back on the trail as well. Like me, he has reached the same awful conclusion about where to resume his hike. Both of us would absolutely KILL to be able to rejoin our favorite hiker friends, who are now a month or more ahead of us on the trail, but both of us know what a mistake that would be. So, with regret for the loss of hiking with our old friends, all we can do is take joy in being back on the trail and try to have confidence that we will acquire new friends who will be different, but also good and warm and caring and funny and fun. I know they're out there!Also, in reading other's journals to try to keep up with where MY friends are, I've become acutely aware of the importance readers place on information about OTHER hikers in each of our journals. Accordingly, I will be making a special effort to record the folks I hike with/camp with/encounter on the trail. It's kind of a public service, but really important for those readers whose favorite hiker is not keeping their journal up to date. (AS an example, I'm having to follow Sock's journal now to figure our where Butterfly Moon is, since Phoenix has been grounded and is no longer providing shuttle services for her slackpacking days, and she is WAY behind in getting her journal caught up!) While I am really anxious to get back on the trail, I have to admit also that it has been good to be home for awhile. It's been wonderful to spend the time with my family (and to sleep in Momma's bed again!), and I've used the time very productively. If something didn't move around here over the past four weeks, it got cleaned out, re-organized, washed and waxed, power cleaned, weeded or replanted, so at least I wasn't wasting my time. (I'm offically retired, but I'm just not the kind of guy who can sit around on his butt doing nothing!) I've also been thinking about the trail, and how much it means to me. I know that when I begin to retrace my steps across Fontana Dam, and reach the turn-off that will take me back up into the Smokeys, I will be all the more aware of what a priviledge and a luxury it is to be able to set off again on this great adventure. If I was feeling blessed during my first 162 miles, you can imagine how much more blessed I will be feeling now that I've been off the trail for a month. It has been, as I'm sure you all know, VERY hard being off the trail. I could not have done it without the strong, uncompromising support of She-who-knows-me-best-but-still-loves-me. Of course, after four weeks of driving her nuts, I suspect she is almost as anxious for me to get back to the trail as I am!! (The woman has the patience of a saint, but we ALL have our limits!!)I am also feeling quite emotional about all of the people who have been following my journal, sending me emails or signing on with messages of support on my visitors page. I am constantly amazed at the number of people out there who have followed my journey -- it is a very humbling phenomenon, and not something I have ever before experienced. From complete strangers to collegues in Scouts, the Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad, the Shenandoah Mountain Rescue Group, Christ the King Lutheran Church, family and friends, the families and friends of my hiker friends, etc. - it's just an incredible community out there, and it adds a dimension to my hike that I really never expected. But it keeps me going and adds great joy to the journey. I try to respond to those who have written, but may have missed a few. I'll try to correct that before I leave for Trail Days. Well, that's all for today. I've got some last minute preparations to make, as this is my last full day here before I leave tomorrow for Damascus. I will be doing journal entries daily from here on out, so please do plan on staying in touch. I have no idea how far I will get this time out, but my hope is that I can keep going until I need to drop off for Scout Camp on June 23. Wish me luck!cheers,Longhaul