One Month Countdown – Injured Already

It has been about a month since my last post, so it must be getting close to the One Month Countdown. Saying I am excited is an understatement. If I didn’t have clients I care about, a February start would be in order. However, there is talk about moving the start date up a day or so. March cannot get here soon enough!

Injury News

My wife and I have been using the incredible trail system only a few blocks from our home as training grounds. Several times each week we load our backpacks up and hike 6 – 12 miles on these nearby trails. There are some rumors going around about a middle age homeless couple wandering in the woods with all their belongings.

On one of these hikes, I was climbing over some blowdown and my feet slipped out from under me. I was by myself on this particular hike and could tell that I was hurt pretty badly. All up the right side of my back was screaming. I got my pack off and lifted my shirt up. There were no scrapes or bleeding, but there was a lot of pain. This was probably number five of the most painful things that have happened to me.

1. Having all my front teeth out knocked out.
2. Having the teeth put back in a decade later.
3. Torn calf muscle made worse by finishing the race so my wife would not beat me.
4. Cutting my pinkie off while slicing onions. One would think this would be higher on the list but shock is a wonder drug.

This back pain was so bad that I was not sure I was going to be able to make it the two miles home. Was my nausea from the pain or from fear? I was very worried our AT experience was going to be delayed (or worse).

Walking was not that bad. There were a couple times when pain shot up my back; not skeletal pain, but internal/muscular pain. In the back of my head, I worried that perhaps I had damaged a kidney.

I am not the type of person to contact a doctor. In fact, I don’t think I have ever reached out to a doctor. My sister is a veterinarian. She is the one I called when I cut off my pinkie slicing onions. My home is a couple blocks from the local emergency room, and I seriously considered going straight there. My clothes were smelly and I had not yet bathed, so I went home and sent an email to my doctor and reached out to my sister. They both said that if I wasn’t pissing blood, a kidney injury was unlikely. Better go take a piss….

Good news. My back felt fine walking, standing, and lying flat. Sitting was excruciating. A couple weeks have passed since the fall, and I have walked about 80 miles (with a pack) since then and the pain is mostly gone. I’m glad I purchased a standing desk a few years ago.

Gear Update

The temperature during many of my training hikes has been in the low 20’s (F). I have been starting these wearing my pants, sun hoodie, rain jacket, hat and gloves. After a mile or so, the rain jacket and gloves have to come off and the hat gets pulled up over my ears. My confidence in my cold weather gear is increasing and I have decided to abandon my Patagonia thermals, shaving about out pound off my pack weight.

I am still on the fence regarding my Teva sandals but am pretty sure they will be left at home too, saving another 11 ounces or so. There won’t be any swimming in creeks or ponds for at least a couple months. There should be no river crossings until New England. Right now, I think that they shouldn’t be carried if I won’t be using them for 700 miles or so.

An ad on backpacker radio led me to purchase an Appalachian Gear Company alpaca hoodie and I plan on carrying it instead of the mid layer originally in my kit. The alpaca hoodie is an ounce heavier, but it has the hood, is a bit warmer, and all the cool hikers will have them this year. I have worn this new hoodie on a couple hikes but quickly get too warm. I do wear it around the house and neighborhood and it is very comfortable. This will probably be the first layer of clothing put on after getting to a campsite.

Within two weeks recently, my wife and I each broke a clamp on our trekking poles. One might see this as an opportunity to get some lighter poles, but ours are in great condition and I don’t really want to drop that much money just to save a few ounces. I reached out to Leki asking if it was possible to purchase some new clamps. Wonderful news, the poles have a lifetime warrantee and new clamps are on the way!

General Feelings and Ramblings

I have shed most of the holiday weight. The first day backpacking (training hikes) foot pain is minimal to nonexistent, my body actually feels very good. My new beard is very uncomfortable but should save us some time on the trail. Rain is in the forecast; we have not set up the tent we are taking in the rain and will take advantage of this opportunity. We have set up other tents in the rain. My level of stress and anxiety decreases each day; my sphere will be just fine without me for five months. Most of my dreams take place in New Hampshire and Maine, my wife won’t let me write about the others. Does it really matter if both SEO and Readability are red? One of my gear posts featured a photo of all my gear; only one person noticed the 15-pound banjo. Does no one look at photos anymore? I am very excited to start having experiences on the trail that will make these posts a bit more interesting.

Thanks for reading and Happy Trails!