Date: 2011-06-26
To: An Update - AT Addiction
Miles today: 0.0

Ok, not that anyone is still reading this thing, but just for the record...Just as in '09 when a toe injury ended my hike, I was like TOTALLY bumed last July when injuries once again ended a through-hike attempt, this time in the mountains of Pennsylvania -- just north of Port Clinton. I was having such a great time, and figured I had already HAD my injuries for that hike, having been off for six weeks with a minicus tear in my left knee and a stress facture of my right tibia. BUT NOOOOOO! Damn back had to give out. I'd known since the MRI I had done just before my '09 hike that there were several discs missing and vertebrae were rubbing together, mishapen, and out of alighment. But in the past, backpacking seemed to actualy help. I would lose weight, which helped, and strengthen my core muscles, which helped, and the pack -- with it's aluminum stay -- was kind of like a back brace. No problem in '05 (with the back), no problem in '09 (with the back), so I was somewhat (forgive the pun) taken aback when it started acting up in '10. I guess maybe my luck with that particular body part had just run out.So, anyway, how do you spell "adiction"? 'Cause that's what the AT seems to be for your's truely. It is such an incredible joy to be out there in the mountains, hiking the white blazes, getting fit, seeing incredible sights, meeting outrageously cool people. Plus, its the freedom to have nothing else to do all day but to enjoy the outdoors. No pressures, no deadlines, no meetings, no reports to read or (worse) to write. Just sheer joy, 24/7. Oh, except for those minor inconveniences like having to schlep a 35 pound pack up and over 6,000 foot peaks, and weather that's too hot or too cold or two wet or too dry. But those are minor things, and they are what provide the rewards at the end of the uphill climb, at the end of a long day, and at the end of an incredible journey. What's NOT to love?As a result, I am now in training once again for my next AT through-hike attempt. Well, actually, I'm in training for the back surgery that is going to ALLOW me to resume my temporarily shelved backpacking career. The plan is to get it done this summer -- just as soon as I finish one last assignment here at the office. Which helps to explain why I happen to be sitting in my office on a beautiful June Sunday afternoon, instead of relaxing in my pool. They're going to "go in from the side" first and install some "spacers" between four of my vertebrae to replace the missing disks. That will restore my to my previous 6'2" stature, I'm pleased to note! That's the first operation, which will occur on a Tuesday. My second one will be two days later, on Thursday. That's when they go in from the back, install two metal rods and 16 screws, to bascially "fuse" the lumbar region of my spine. I will then spend a week or two in a "rehab" facility of some kind, and then start more active rehab work. The plan is to be up and walking in a couple of weeks, swimming in four weeks, day hiking in 6-8 weeks, and then back in the backpacking business! That's the PLAN, not to be confused with how things may actually work out. There are, I gather, certain, ahem, risks involved. Like, in theory, I could die on the operating table, or end up a veggie (if the anestheiologist screws up), or become a parapalegic if one of the two surgeons hand slips and the spinal column suffers some kind of permenant damage. I had to go over all of this with the surgeon, who was reluctant to operate "until the pain gets so back you can't stand it", sez he. It's a MAJOR operation, ya see -- 17 hours of surgery, and not something you should take lightly. Fortunately, he was able to understand that pain is not just physical. Frankly, I told him, I can't stand the pain of not being able to hike the AT! It just makes NO SENSE to me to put this thing off until I'm like really OLD or something, and THEN have it. "I WANT IT NOW, DO YOU HEAR ME" sez me, holding on to the lapels of his white lab coat, my furled brow a mere inches from his larger than normal eyes...) OK, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. The point is, he agreed to do it. But on these kind of major operations, he works with another surgeon, which sounds good to me. Two pairs of hands, two minds, etc. So now I have an appointment with surgeon #2 next Friday. Then we schedule it. I can't wait. So I'm now running two miles every weekday morning, and five on weekend days, trying to lose a few pounds and get the muscles in tip top shape for the recovery/rehabilitation process. I can't wait to get that done. Most of you will understand, of course, or you wouldn't be reading this journal in the first place!So here's the plan. If all goes well, I should be in hiking form by the start of the 2012 season. My preferred scenario, Plan A, is to leave March 12 or 19th, depending on the weather and the forecasts. (Last year, I was postholing through snow up to my ass between Clingman's dome and Gaitlinberg, which is NOT my idea of a good time. But it depends also on what's shak'in at the office here. Money has been tight, and no one knows what the budget will be for this coming fiscal year. If the money isn't available to pay me, I WIN! I'll be ready to go in March. On the other hand, if the money IS available, and they need me to stick around on some key tasks (yeah, I know, like I'm IRREPLACEABLE, right?), then I could delay the start for a bit. Plan B would be to restart my '09 hike where I left off -- in Damascus. Then I'd work until the middle of May, head for Damascus to celebrate Trail Days, do Hard Core, and then head north.Plan C would involve working through to the end of the fiscal year (June 30), and resuming my '10 hike, at Port Clinton, Pa. So that's the plan. In case anyone is interested. I'm trying to decide if I should start a new journal now, or wait to see how the back operation goes. I mean, if I die on the operating table, it would be kind of a waste, right? And If I am crippled for life, then we aren't going to need any more AT journals, right? Besides, I'm really busy at the office right now, trying to get that last thing done so I can schedule my operation. So this is where I'll be updating things for now. At least until after the operation. Then maybe I'll do some journaling while I'm recouperating. I won't be working for 6-8 weeks, so that would give me the time. And the recovery period might give me some cool insights and humourous events that I could write about. You know, to keep certain people who shall remain nameless off my back about not posting a daily journal entry. Ya. That sounds right. Stay tuned!