July 31, 2012 - Day 2
Start: Top Notch Inn
End: Top Notch Inn
Daily Mileage: 0
Total Mileage: 13.4
I was hoping that I'd wake up and my knee would feel well enough to continue hiking today. I was hoping to at least hike the 3 miles up Wildcat Peaks E and D. At that point, if I were in pain, we could take the gondola down. If I was not in pain, we would continue. Unfortunately, when I got out of bed and walked to the bathroom, the pain in my knee told me hiking was out of the question for the day. It was still so painful! I decided I needed to be checked out by a doctor. Of course, I knew I wouldn't like what he would say, but I wanted to see why it hurt so incredibly bad. The diagnosis is tendonitis of multiple tendons in my knee and a bad sprain. The treatment is a full leg immobilizer, crutches, and a week of non loading that leg!!!!! Tears immediately flowed like a faucet. I couldn't even believe this was happening after one day of hiking in the section we have been looking forward to most. From the moment that hiking the AT became a glimmer of a thought in our minds, we have been looking forward to the Whites and beyond. I was battling with being sad that I may not be able to continue, frustrated that even if we do continue, we may not reach Katahdin before we have to return for work, and embarrassed that my friends and family would read that once again, I am injured. I'm frustrated that some people hike the almost 2200 miles from Georgia to Maine and never get an injury, yet I seem to get an injury for every hundred miles we walk, or in this case, for the four miles I walked. It only took a few minutes of tears for problem solving Flicka to take charge. I immediately figured out that if I rest until Sunday and we cover an average of 14 miles a day, we can still reach Katahdin this summer. I just have to be sure my knee is up to the challenge before we continue, as we are in the most intense section of the trail. In the meantime, we have our car so we will drive around and explore while I rest and nurse my knee. I'm ending this day apprehensive, yet hopeful.
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Bipolar Weather, Bipolar Emotions
July 30, 2013 - Day 1
Start: Mt. Washington, NH
End: Pinkham Notch, NH
Daily Miles: 13.4
Total Miles: 13.4
Throughout the day, my thoughts and emotions were about as bipolar as the Mt Washington weather! Happiness, excitement, sadness, frustration, peacefulness, exhaustion, anger, embarrassment, worry and relief are just a few.
We woke up full of excitement to start our journey. The journey we have been counting down until for 11 months!!! The original plan was to start yesterday, but true to Mt. Washington fashion, there were thunderstorms on the ridge all day. Since there was no need to spend the day playing hide and seek with bolts of lightening on the exposed ridge for almost 7 miles, we delayed our start one day. We packed up with food, water, and lots of extra clothing and headed out. It was a warm 75 degrees and sunny in the valley, but weather reports called for 45 degrees with a "feel like" of 36 and foggy at the summit and along the ridge. We arrived at Pinkham notch and called the Mt Washington Stage Coach to drive us to the summit so we could meet the AT where we left it last year (even though we had done this section on a trip in 2010). By the time we arrived at the summit, it was 11:00. Much later than we intended to start. It was cold and we were hiking in the clouds, but we were still excited. Our views were limited to just about the next carin. We started the descent off of Mt. Washington and could hear the cog nearby, but could not see it. Our plan to follow AT tradition and moon the cog was ruined. We followed the AT past Mt Clay and Mt Jefferson and eventually started to have views of the valleys below and the ridges in the distance. Somewhere along this stretch, I lost my balance, fell, and face planted into a bush. Better a bush than the surrounding rocks, I suppose, but my shin and trekking pole were not so lucky. I stood up, brushed myself off and looked at my pole that was now shaped like an "L." I don't think an "L" shaped pole is conducive to hiking! As a fellow hiker commented, it definitely wasn't "a happy looking pole." In an attempt to bend it back into shape for me, Brian snapped the pole in half. I stuck both pieces in my pack and continued with one pole. I didn't realize how much I relied on my "extra legs," until I was down one! After Jefferson, we continued to Mt Adams and eventually made it to Madison Spring Hut. We took a much needed break. My right knee started to hurt suddenly about a mile and a half before the hut. The descent into the hut was excruciating!! After about a half hour break, we climbed Madison and started the descent to Pinkham Notch. The descent was so painful! I was pretty emotional on the way down as a million thoughts flooded my mind. I was upset that I was injured on our first day, especially since I was so optimistic that we would avoid injuries after learning from last years mistakes. I was worried about what I did to myself and how long it would take to heal. I have never experienced pain in my knee like this!! My mind wandered to thoughts of "If these pains and injuries are happening now at 30, how will I ever thru hike later in life?" "Is this the end of our much anticipated hike this year?" "Is it smart to continue with such a painful injury into one of the most, if not THE MOST, remote part of the trail?" I was sad. I was hurt. I was mad. I was disappointed. I was even embarrassed. We finally made it out of the woods after dark. I was never more relieved to be done for the day. We got in our car (we had left it at Pinkham Notch) and went directly to Mr. Pizza for dinner. It took all we had to keep our eyes open long enough to get food in our mouths. As soon as we were done, we went back to our room, showered, and fell asleep almost instantly. I miss that feeling of being truly exhausted at bedtime!!
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Start: Mt. Washington, NH
End: Pinkham Notch, NH
Daily Miles: 13.4
Total Miles: 13.4
Throughout the day, my thoughts and emotions were about as bipolar as the Mt Washington weather! Happiness, excitement, sadness, frustration, peacefulness, exhaustion, anger, embarrassment, worry and relief are just a few.
We woke up full of excitement to start our journey. The journey we have been counting down until for 11 months!!! The original plan was to start yesterday, but true to Mt. Washington fashion, there were thunderstorms on the ridge all day. Since there was no need to spend the day playing hide and seek with bolts of lightening on the exposed ridge for almost 7 miles, we delayed our start one day. We packed up with food, water, and lots of extra clothing and headed out. It was a warm 75 degrees and sunny in the valley, but weather reports called for 45 degrees with a "feel like" of 36 and foggy at the summit and along the ridge. We arrived at Pinkham notch and called the Mt Washington Stage Coach to drive us to the summit so we could meet the AT where we left it last year (even though we had done this section on a trip in 2010). By the time we arrived at the summit, it was 11:00. Much later than we intended to start. It was cold and we were hiking in the clouds, but we were still excited. Our views were limited to just about the next carin. We started the descent off of Mt. Washington and could hear the cog nearby, but could not see it. Our plan to follow AT tradition and moon the cog was ruined. We followed the AT past Mt Clay and Mt Jefferson and eventually started to have views of the valleys below and the ridges in the distance. Somewhere along this stretch, I lost my balance, fell, and face planted into a bush. Better a bush than the surrounding rocks, I suppose, but my shin and trekking pole were not so lucky. I stood up, brushed myself off and looked at my pole that was now shaped like an "L." I don't think an "L" shaped pole is conducive to hiking! As a fellow hiker commented, it definitely wasn't "a happy looking pole." In an attempt to bend it back into shape for me, Brian snapped the pole in half. I stuck both pieces in my pack and continued with one pole. I didn't realize how much I relied on my "extra legs," until I was down one! After Jefferson, we continued to Mt Adams and eventually made it to Madison Spring Hut. We took a much needed break. My right knee started to hurt suddenly about a mile and a half before the hut. The descent into the hut was excruciating!! After about a half hour break, we climbed Madison and started the descent to Pinkham Notch. The descent was so painful! I was pretty emotional on the way down as a million thoughts flooded my mind. I was upset that I was injured on our first day, especially since I was so optimistic that we would avoid injuries after learning from last years mistakes. I was worried about what I did to myself and how long it would take to heal. I have never experienced pain in my knee like this!! My mind wandered to thoughts of "If these pains and injuries are happening now at 30, how will I ever thru hike later in life?" "Is this the end of our much anticipated hike this year?" "Is it smart to continue with such a painful injury into one of the most, if not THE MOST, remote part of the trail?" I was sad. I was hurt. I was mad. I was disappointed. I was even embarrassed. We finally made it out of the woods after dark. I was never more relieved to be done for the day. We got in our car (we had left it at Pinkham Notch) and went directly to Mr. Pizza for dinner. It took all we had to keep our eyes open long enough to get food in our mouths. As soon as we were done, we went back to our room, showered, and fell asleep almost instantly. I miss that feeling of being truly exhausted at bedtime!!
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
Maine Oh Maine!!
Our bags are packed and we are ready to go!! After a long winter and a busy spring, some day hikes and some days of giving trail magic, the time has come for Daddy Long Legs and I to lace up our boots, throw on our packs, and put one foot in front of the other.
On Sunday, we will drive from our home on Long Island to Gorham, NH. We will spend our first night of our journey in the same place we spent our last night last summer, the Top Notch Inn. Monday morning, we will wake up early and hitch a ride to the Mt. Washington Auto Road where we will take a van to the summit (I have already climbed Washington 7 or 8 times and DDL has over 10 times). We will pick up the AT at the summit where we left off last year, and begin our 330+ mile trek to Katahdin.
As I write this, I'm filled with so many emotions. I feel happy as I reminisce about last summer and think about the amazing people we met, the everlasting memories we created, and the beauty that surrounded us each and every day. I feel nervous as I remember the various physical ailments DDL and I faced last year and I wonder if we will encounter similar pains on this journey. I'm excited to meet new friends, see new sunrises and sunsets, and hike in Maine (I've never hiked in Maine). Maybe we will even see a moose! I'm even a little sad that we are not continuing our journey with the incredible trail family we formed last year. But most off all, I am at peace. In just a few short days, I will be where I belong. I will be in nature, in the mountains, on the Appalachain Trail. I will be home.
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
On Sunday, we will drive from our home on Long Island to Gorham, NH. We will spend our first night of our journey in the same place we spent our last night last summer, the Top Notch Inn. Monday morning, we will wake up early and hitch a ride to the Mt. Washington Auto Road where we will take a van to the summit (I have already climbed Washington 7 or 8 times and DDL has over 10 times). We will pick up the AT at the summit where we left off last year, and begin our 330+ mile trek to Katahdin.
As I write this, I'm filled with so many emotions. I feel happy as I reminisce about last summer and think about the amazing people we met, the everlasting memories we created, and the beauty that surrounded us each and every day. I feel nervous as I remember the various physical ailments DDL and I faced last year and I wonder if we will encounter similar pains on this journey. I'm excited to meet new friends, see new sunrises and sunsets, and hike in Maine (I've never hiked in Maine). Maybe we will even see a moose! I'm even a little sad that we are not continuing our journey with the incredible trail family we formed last year. But most off all, I am at peace. In just a few short days, I will be where I belong. I will be in nature, in the mountains, on the Appalachain Trail. I will be home.
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
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