Date: 2008-05-26
To: Hopeful to hike
Miles today: 0.0

By this stage I was hoping to be a lot more prepared to hike than I am. It's not that I haven't been thinking a lot about hiking, and had a "plan" for start date and getting to Maine to get started, but just how life always steps smack in the middle of planning. Three weeks ago, during a long weekend beach trip in Spain I went for a short run with a friend. During that run I pulled up with a strange sensation in my right knee. It wasn't pain as such, just a feeling that I'd mis-placed the foot. I walked it out for a while and tried running again, but only for a very short distance before calling it quits and walking gingerly back to the hotel. Within days the pain came. I iced it, consulted doctors, took lots of pain killers, submitted to crutches for a while, then admitted that Ibuprofen just wasn't killing the pain and accepted a stronger painkiller.   In the mind-numbed state that finally deadened the pain, all I could think about was how I had destroyed my chance to hike this year.Now, three weeks later and back in the US. The doctor's opinion is either a torn meniscus or a bad sprain. I'm praying for the latter. Surgery is not an option I want to have to consider. I'm working the knee daily with laps in the pool, aqua aerobics and other non impact exercises while waiting on the end of the holiday weekend and an MRI.   Here in Florida the recovery has been dramatic. Maybe it's the heat, or the ability to totally relax. For the first few days the pain was still present, but now I'm pain free, appear to have gained the full motion of the knee, and can bear my own weight on it. Yesterday I hiked 5 miles, admittedly on a level paved surface, but the 5 only took me 1.5 hours, so I was hiking at my usual 3mph level ground pace. The paved surface was a 1.25 mile multiuse circular trail. I wanted to see how far I could get without pain, while giving myself an easy option back to my vehicle if I couldn't walk. The five mile stop was partially becasue I was starting to get some discomfort in the knee (I think I would have anyway, even without the injury, it has been 2 months since I hiked any distance), the heat of walking in 90 degrees on a paved surface, and the need for a break, food and water. I was hoping to do at least 5 miles, and felt a great sense of achievement when I did it. Then I just wanted a cold drink and a cold shower!Today there is no noticeable change in the knee, so I don't think there is any reason for me not to continue practice hikes in addition to continuing the hydro therapy. Tomorrow, after the MRI is done I'll probably try to repeat the 5 again. Hopefully, if all continues well, I can increase up to 7.5 by the end of the week, and be in a better position to resist the idea of surgery if the MRI indicates it. Continuing on with the increase in distance and weight I hope to try a half loaded pack by the middle of next week, and get up to a fully loaded pack and 10 miles by next weekend.So, how does this affect the planning for my proposed AT SOBO? Well, my original intended start date of June 10 seems rather unreasonable right now. The last thing I want is to put myself in the 100 mile wilderness with a fully loaded pack and little hope of making it to Monson. I want to test myself out on easier, but still hilly terrain, with better bail out options first. My current thinking is to get up into North Carolina or Tennessee to do a week long section, then travel on up to Maine from there if all goes well. In addition, the late snowpack melt in Maine makes bumping the start date back by at least a couple of weeks seem prudent. Ice water stream crossing may be good for icing the knee, but I'm sure I'll still find plenty of cold water a few weeks later, while (hopefully) reducing the number of dangerous melt water crossings. Though I originally planned to start this hike solo, I have since agreed to start out, and possibly continue hiking, with a good friend whose schedule is similar to mine. So far we seem in agreement that a couple of weeks delay will be better for both of our hikes. ...so we wait, continue exercising and strengthening, and awaiting the medical input on the situation. Wish me luck.