Date: 2015-11-01
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Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

So ¢¦ I was planning to write this recap couple of days to a week after finishing the AT. Over a month later, I¢m finally getting around to it. That¢s procrastination! So here goes ¢ just a few thoughts on the hike and my recovery from it - don't worry, nothing profound. Starting my thru-hike I knew that food would be a big deal ¢ I just didn¢t realize how big a deal it was. I was always hungry getting into a town and I thought about food A LOT on the trail. Never seemed to be able to carry enough on the trail ¢ although my pack certainly felt like it had enough! Then in town, I¢d adopt one of two strategies 1) stuff myself silly or 2) graze the entire town stay. Strategy #1 and I¢d be close to sick on my stomach not being able to handle the amount of food my mind thought I could eat. Strategy #2 and I seemed to leave town too early and I wouldn¢t get in enough calories to counteract my hunger. Never figured it out ¢ but think more mail drops and a dehydrator might be in my future (or a Sherpa). A couple of days after I finished I realized that I now had access to all the food I could want and could be a little more selective in my eating. No more French fries and burgers (both of which I ate more of on the trail than in the last 15 years of ¢normal¢ life). For the first couple of weeks, I still ate a lot, but at least, it was relatively healthy stuff (the exception being the dozen doughnuts I brought home but . . .. they were on sale!)   Now, eating is pretty much back to normal and my weight which at one time dropped to the high 130¢s is now pretty much back to pre-hike levels (mid 150¢s). I felt very lucky that my body held up for the entire hike. Starting ¢ with multiple compressed discs, arthritic shoulders, and a bum knee, which I rehabbed all winter ¢ I didn¢t know if I could make it pass Roanoke. From that beginning, things turned out great. I had a variety of ¢little¢ injuries (strained IT band (left knee) bruised rib cage (right side), stiff back (70% of the mornings?) but nothing that got so bad that I even thought that I¢d have to stop. My right knee held up great (I actually put the brace on the wrong knee one morning in the Roan Highlands because my left knee felt worse than the right.) It wasn¢t until the Whites, that both knees starting protesting but that happens to many, many folks in that neck of the woods. A month later, both knees are good ¢ although I¢ll probably think about getting another hyaluronic acid injection this spring. I stretched ¢ a lot ¢ and wore my right knee brace every day, took a Meloxicam (prescription NSAI) each morning ¢ don¢t know if any of that helped but . . . hey, I made it. Another big aid for my body was my trekking poles. I¢d never used two poles until about two week prior to my thru-hike, but at the urging of my orthopedic doctor and others decided to give it a try. I was worried about the strain to my shoulders but they worked great.   Made the hiking much easier ¢ almost felt like I was cheating! They helped me put in much bigger days than I otherwise could have, not to mention keeping me much drier when rock hopping creeks. The only drawback I noticed (and this was mentioned by other thru-hikers I met) was that by the end I was so used to walked with the trekking poles that my balance (never one of my strong points) seemed to get worse.   After finishing Katahdin, I pretty much, aside from one 10mile+ day on the Rollercoaster, confined my hiking to short treks for a couple of weeks. My body needed some rest. Now, after several longer hikes in the Smokies and Shenandoah plus a weekend backpacking trip to the Smokies, I feel pretty much back to normal. I feel lucky.Loved all of my equipment. Besides the Sawyer water bags (which had to be replaced regularly ¢ used 9, I think during the hike), everything held together well. Special recognition to 1) my Contrail (Tarptent), light, roomy, easy and quick to set up and take down ¢ what more can you ask for? (A computer guidance system that warns operators not to set up tent in poor drainage areas in evening before MAJOR downpours?) 2) my Neoair sleeping pad. It¢s now 6 years old and still going strong. Set up tent on rocks and roots more that once and still had comfortable sleep due to pad. (Think I¢ve jinxed myself now ¢ probably will develop tear next camping trip) 3) my Jet Boil stove and cozy. Very reliable, and the cozy is so well insulated I could go over a month with the same fuel canister. I could name a bunch more stuff¢ like I said everything worked great ¢ but I¢ll stop now.The whole trail was great (okay maybe Connecticut was a little less than great) but the bookends (Mt Rogers to Bly Gap (sorry GA!) and New Hampshire and Maine are the best! Love the Southern Appalachians - great diverse forest, balds and springy trail. Trail certainly NOT springy in the north but loved the northern forest, the wildness of it all, and, of course, those mountaintops. Franconia Ridge, the Presidentials, Baldpate, Saddleback, the Bigalows - wow, enough said.As is common among thru-hikers, I finish my hike totally awed by the tremendous generosity of the trail community ¢ so many folks aided me in my hike ¢ it was something I¢ll always remember. I also finish my hike (as I alluded to, I think, in a posting in the 100 mile wilderness), with a strong desire to give back to the trail. Right now I have a shelter, section of trail, and boundary section to care for ¢ but I¢m sure other opportunities will come up in the future ¢ and I¢m ready for them. For now, thanks for your support and encouragement ¢ it meant a lot! Happy hiking!