Major Injury on the Appalachian Trail

   Back in 1980 right after eating 1/2 gallon of ice cream (see previous post), I waddled to the next shelter and spent the night. My right foot had been bothering me for a couple of weeks. It started when I danced barefoot at a picnic/party in Waynesboro, Virginia. Now I had hiked through West Virginia, Maryland, and now I was in Pennsylvania. When I woke up the next morning I knew that I was in Trouble (with a capital T that rhymes with P....). My right foot was swollen and hurt to put ANY weight on it.
   You don't want to have an injury on the Appalachian Trail, but that's exactly what I had. To make matters worse, I was by myself. Often other hikers would sleep in the shelters, but not this day, I was alone. I pulled out my maps and data book to try to locate the nearest road so I could get some help. Fortunately there was a road crossing within a few miles. I was able to carry my backpack and very SLOWLY hobble down the mountainside to the road. I stuck out my thumb to get a ride. An electronics van filled with all kinds of electronic repair stuff pulled over and gave me a ride to the nearest town, Carlisle, PA.
   I went to the Emergency Room of the local hospital. They X-rayed my foot and discovered that I had a hairline fracture of one of the bones in my right foot. The doctors debated about whether to put a cast on my foot. I knew that would mean weeks off of the trail and might mean that I would be unable to finish. Ultimately they decided to give me some special padding to put inside my boot and instructed me to stay off of it for several days.
   That is how, several hours after entering the ER, I emerged and limped down the street. I was exhausted, I was ravenously hungry, I had no idea where I was, and I had no idea what I was going to do. I saw a church steeple in the distance and began slowly limping towards it. I was a Christian and knew that God would take care of me somehow. I prayed a brief prayer, asking for God to guide me. I had no idea what would happen. (I'll continue the story tomorrow).
   Here in 2011 I have (mostly) stayed injury free. My calf muscles tend to cramp, even though I stretch them a lot before I go jogging in the morning. Today I had to stop several times and walk, trying to rub out the cramps in my right calf. I continue to make progress. Today I weighed in at 175.8 pounds (total loss of eleven pounds). I may skip jogging tomorrow and see if my legs can get better. I'm glad to still be making progress!

You Ate An Entire What?!!

   Finally summer arrived on the Appalachian Trail back in 1980. I was in southern Pennsylvania at the time, so the heat wasn't too bad. The trail passed through a park called "Pine Grove Forest". In the park was a small general store that catered to both tourists and thru-hikers. When I entered the store I noticed small cardboard pieces hanging from the ceiling with names written on them. I asked the clerk what they were and he replied that they were the names of the hikers who joined the "half gallon club". Half gallon club? What was that? Then I found out that hikers had eaten an entire half gallon of ice cream in one sitting!
   Now, I like a challenge. And (at that time) I liked ice cream....especially chocolate! So I plunked down my money and bought an entire half gallon of plain chocolate ice cream. The clerk handed me a large metal spoon and wished me good luck. I sat down on the front steps and began to attack the ice cream. Pennsylvania is known for many things. But the South Central section is particularly know for dairy products and ice cream. After all, Mr. Hershey located his manufacturing plant in this section of the country because it was located near so many dairy farms!
   Have you ever eaten an ENTIRE half gallon of ice cream all at once? Well...it takes some time. But I was able to cram the last few bites into my mouth and declared victory! The store clerk directed me to the wash room where I carefully washed out the sticky stuff left over inside the carton. With large scissors we cut out one of the sides of the box and I wrote my name on it. This trophy took it's place next to the others hanging from the ceiling! I cut up the rest of the box and made several post cards (which I wrote on and mailed to friends and family). In the end I put my backpack on and waddled down the trail, still wiping chocolate from my face. Life was good. If only my right foot would stop hurting so much. You would think that bruising it back in Waynesboro more than a week ago wouldn't still hurt. Well, time to make more progress on the trail!
   Speaking of progress, this morning (in 2011) I weighed in at 176.4 pounds. Jogging is helping, but my calf muscles still get tight even though I stretch and stretch and stretch! I bought a banana and ate it today. I heard that potasium can cause leg cramps and bananas are full of potasium. We will see if it works.

I HAVE LOST TEN POUNDS!

   Before I left for my hike in 1980 I saw an ad in the A.T. newsletter by a Presbyterian pastor who lived near the trail in southern Pennsylvania. I communicated with him and he invited me to stay at his house when I came through. He also agreed to let me mail my supply box to his address. I arrived in town and was able to locate him. He had expected to be out of town and had left my box at a local store, but we went by and retrieved it.
   That night I was able to enjoy the luxuries of living indoors, even if it was just one night. The pastor's son lived upstairs in a large bonus room. The room was decorated with all kinds of hard rock posters and sem-satanic paraphanalia. He was a bit "dark" and somewhat scary! I realized that many pastor's kids rebelled because of unrealistic expectations placed on them. When I became a pastor, I vowed not to put my kids in a "fishbowl" and not pressure them to the point where they would end up like this guy. So far it has worked out well (and my kids love God in a very real way).
   The crossing into Pennsylvania (after only a few short days in Maryland) was a milestone because I was now officially in the "North". That's because I was now North of the "Mason-Dixon Line" which divided the North from the South. I still said "Y'all", but I was starting to get to used hearing "you guys"!
   Here in 2011 (*drumroll please*) I weighed in at 176.8 pounds. That is TEN POUNDS I have lost so far! I know my weight goes up and and down, but it is encouraging to have lost that much weight (especially after ten weeks). Yesterday I worked for 8 hours with my son cleaning out the garage and reorganizing. I was dripping with sweat all day since it is over 90 degrees here. This morning I went jogging and did ok. I'm hoping to continue to make progress losing weight this week...one step at a time!

Remembering the First 1,000 Miles Hiked

   1,000 miles is a long distance. At this time back in 1980 I had backpacked about 1,000 miles through the mountains. That was the distance from northern Georgia to Maryland. I know that mapquest will tell you that the distance is shorter, that's because mapquest is looking at the distance using interstate highways. When I hiked, it was up a mountain, then down a mountain. The trail isn't necessarily straight! It took me about ten weeks to hike 1,000 miles. That is 100 miles per week and (theoretically) 14.3 miles per day. But when you consider that I took off about one day per week to rest, I averaged a little over 16.5 miles per day.
   Step by step, up mountains and down mountains, through fields and across streams I continued to hike. I hiked in the sun and in the rain (and even a few days in the snow). My pack weighed somewhere between 26 pounds (at the end of a week) and 41 pounds (at the beginning of a week with a week's worth of food and full canteens). Since I weighed in at a whopping 135 pounds back then, that was a lot of weight!
   It was good to look back over the first 1,000 miles and remember. I remembered the first week when it rained almost every day. I remembered my friend Nancy Lee Read whom I gave the trail name "Southern Belle" (I still left notes in the hiker registers for her). I remembered how tough the Smokies were. I remembered that day on top of the mountain in the Mt. Rogers area of Virginia when I got caught in a bad storm and was afraid that I could die. I remembered the kindness of so many people along the way, especially those who fed me ramps and girl scout cookies and steak. I remembered the Christians who took me into their homes and practiced hospitality in such a powerful way. I remembered getting discouraged and wondering if I should quit, but deciding to persevere. I remembered dancing barefoot in Waynesboro until I bruised my foot (it still hurt a lot at this point on the trail). I remembered the church holding communion for me and getting lost with the cows and seeing giraffes next to the trail. I remembered those and so many other things. And I knew that I was almost halfway through my journey. And I knew that I would make it, I would not quit, I would persevere. 1,000 down and about 1,100 more miles to go!
   Here in 2011 I remember my commitment to lose weight and get down to 165 pounds. This weekend my son looked at me and said, "DAD you really HAVE lost weight. Your belly isn't nearly as big." Yesterday I weighed in at 177.0 pounds. But I went to a memorial service for a man who died and ate (including pecan pie) and then I went to a family gathering for Father's Day and ate (including some delicious chocolate cake). So this morning I wasn't surprised when I weighed in at 178.2 pounds. I know from past experience that my weight will fluctuate, but I can persevere and continue to trim away the pounds. I've made a lot of progress so far. I'm not going to give up.
P.S. If you missed some of my earlier blogs, all of the things I mentioned above are described in a lot more detail. Just look at the history on the blog and enjoy reading!

Maintaining and Protecting the Trail

   Back in 1980 I finally completed all of the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. As I entered West Virginia I quickly had to carve a small notch on my hiking staff with the initials "WV". I say "quickly", because the trail was in West Virginia for only about six miles! It cuts across a tiny part of the State before going into Maryland.
   One of the pleasures of West Virginia was a short stop in Harper's Ferry. This town was famous for its role in the War Between the States (Civil War). The Appalachian Trail Conference has it's headquarters in Harper's Ferry. I went by and visited for a short time, signed into the register, and had my photo made with some other thru-hikers. Since that time, the name has been changed to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC). I became a Life Member not long after finishing my thru-hike. I still get the regular newsletter with information about the trail.
   The ATC is an important volunteer organization that maintains the trail and works to protect the trail. Over the years they have been able to buy sections of land and relocate the trail off of many roads that I hiked in 1980. Piece by piece they continue to add land, with the goal of having the trail 100% protected from development. Without the ATC we wouldn't have the Appalachian Trail. Their work and dedication has preserved this national treasure to be enjoyed by many generations to come!
   Here in 2011 I weighed in at 177.4 pounds this morning (almost unchanged from yesterday). That actually is a good thing considering that I went to a giant tailgate party last night followed by the Braves baseball game. I didn't have a hot dog, I had TWO hotdogs and a hamburger and a small bag of potato chips and a box of popcorn at the game. It's a good thing that I had a big salad for lunch and drank a lot of water! Tomorrow is a small family reunion for Father's Day. I will try not to "pig out" too much on all the good food!

An Adventurous Side Track

   In 1980 most of the Appalachian Trail was in the mountains and woods. But there were some short stretches where the trail was forced to follow a road (sometimes dirt road, sometimes paved road). In the far north of Virginia there was a stretch of trail that followed a paved road. Now, hiking on a paved road has its advantages. The surface is smooth, so you don't have to worry about tripping on tree roots or rocks or slipping in mud. The road is usually straight, while the trail often twists and turns with "switchbacks" going up and down mountains. You can make a lot of progress fast on a paved road. You can also miss the turn too. That's what I did...again.
   I was hiking with two or three other people at this point. Maybe it was our conversation, maybe it was the fact that the turnoff was poorly marked. All I know is someone piped up and said, "Hey, has anyone seen a blaze in a while?" Those small white paint marks were our guide to following the trail. We stopped and looked ahead, no blazes. We turned around and looked back, no blazes. No one remembered seeing a blaze for a while. And no one wanted to turn around and backtrack who knows how much distance. Someone had a map and pulled it out to study. He was insistent that although we had missed the trail, we could connect to another road in a short distance and reconnect back up with the trail.
   We were all for adventure, so we headed out. Shortly we came to an old general store. That means ice cream and cold drinks for backpackers! When I say "old" general store, I really mean "old". The merchandise was loaded onto shelves, but there was a counter blocking access to all of the shelves. One man ran the store. You asked for the items you wanted and he picked them off the shelves for you. That was the way stores used to be in some areas a long, long. LONG time ago.
   After getting snacks and cold Gatorade, we discovered that our grand plan for reconnecting with the trail wouldn't work. Fortunately another customer in a pickup truck knew where the trail was. We all loaded up in the back of the truck and he took us to the place where the trail left the road and went back into the woods. It was an adventurous side track. We decided it was worth the extra walking for all the goodies we bought at the store. As I hiked down the trail, my right foot started aching again. It had been a week since I bruised it, dancing barefoot in Waynesboro. I just kept going. The trail stretched ahead of us, something over 1,000 miles left to Maine. I knew I was going to make it.
  2011 update:  This morning I weighed in at 177.2 pounds. I went jogging again, but my right calf muscle got tight (again). It's frustrating to have injury problems when you are trying to exercise (*sigh*). Today I have a lunch with a church planter consultant. I also have a tailgate party & the Braves baseball game tonight. I will try to stay away from all the fat, but I might "have" to eat a hotdog! Go Braves!

On the Edge of Insanity!

   I was in the far northern part of Virginia about this time in 1980. After leaving the Shenandoah National Park, I remember hiking through some other areas. Some had large fields with tall grass. I picked up a couple of ticks and had to check myself frequently to make sure I didn't have any more. The last thing I wanted was Rocky Mountain Spotted fever or Lyme's disease (both spread by ticks)!
   One day I was hiking along through a field, enjoying the sun and a light breeze. I could hear a bird singing in a nearby tree. I gazed across the horizon and saw giraffes grazing in the distance. I began to think about lunch when....WHAT?!! GIRAFFES? For a moment I thought that I was losing my mind. I imagined that they would find me somewhere curled up into the fetal position muttering about giraffes and elephants and who knows what else. They would shake their heads and say, "this is what happens when they stay out on the Appalachian Trail too long." I imagined it would be a long time before my sanity was restored.
   I looked again, and sure enough, there WERE giraffes grazing in the distance. I was on the edge of insanity, but survived. I was relieved that my mind was intact (and I wasn't going to be hauled away by men in white coats)! Then came the big question: WHY were there giraffes grazing in the distance? After all, this is Virginia, not Africa! It turns out that the zoo in Washington D.C. had an wildlife reserve where they kept extra animals. Fortunately there was a very tall fence that kept the giraffes (and I understand elephants) from straying. The Applachian Trail went right by this wildlife reserve area. I knew I would see lots of things while hiking the trail, but I never imagined this!
   2011 update:  No, I haven't seen any giraffes in McDonough, Georgia today. But I did weigh in at 177.4 pounds this morning. That's a little more than yesterday, but still in the good range. Jogging this morning went better, I didn't have to stop and walk at all. Cracker Barrel for lunch today with my cousin from Nashville. I think I will get the salad and skip the biscuits!