[at-l] Cherokee Tom

[Richard Calkins]

Nah.  It can be done.  I fell off the trail at Fontana Dam in 2005 with a stress facture of my tibia and a meniscus tear in my knee.  Had the knee operated on, waited the absolute minimum time for the stress facture to heal, and got back on -- total time off was six weeks.  Later, I had obligations for scout camps with the kids that cost me another three weeks, so eventually I had to jump up north (to the Mass/Vermont border) to finish before they closed Baxter park.  Then, after summiting, I went back to Massachusetts and hiked south to finish up.    

Hardest part was sitting at home for six weeks knowing all my friends were still out there hiking.  THAT was tough.  Fortunately, when I jumped up north, I plopped myself down in the middle of my 'mid-march' group of Springer Mountain friends, and hiked 600 miles from Vermont to Katahdin with them.  That made up for the long six weeks at home!  After "graduating with my class", I had another rather lonesome 500 miles to hike, but the fall is a beautiful time of year from Massachusetts to Pennmar, despite those 11 straight days of rain....

To me, that was the year I had planned to do my through-hike, so being home just wasn't where I was supposed to be.

cheers,
Longhaul


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: pudscrawler at aol.com<mailto:pudscrawler at aol.com> 
  To: athiker at smithville.net<mailto:athiker at smithville.net> 
  Cc: at-l at mailman.backcountry.net<mailto:at-l at mailman.backcountry.net> 
  Sent: Saturday, April 07, 2007 1:51 PM
  Subject: Re: [at-l] Cherokee Tom


  Tradition?  Weather?  "Rules?"
   
  Kinnickinic 
   
  -----Original Message-----
  From: athiker at smithville.net<mailto:athiker at smithville.net>
  Cc: at-l at mailman.backcountry.net<mailto:at-l at mailman.backcountry.net>
  Sent: Sat, 7 Apr 2007 11:40 AM
  Subject: Re: [at-l] Cherokee Tom


  Jan Leitschuh wrote:

  >Bob,
  >Did anyone answer you? I haven't been online regularly lately.
  >He developed a lung infection and had to get off. He's mad, and sad, and plans 
  to go next year.
  >Hard to hike when no O2, poor baby.
  >

  This reminds me of a question I've often had. Why does it have to be 
  next year? Why not later this year (assuming the infection clears up, 
  etc. )?  Why do so many hikes end that could just be delayed? 


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