A Week Off the Trail Turns into a Month Off the Trail?

Who was it that said, "When it rains, it pours."?  The next surprise after my foot infection was that I developed a case of pneumonia.  It was diagnosed Sunday night a little over a week ago.  It had started out as discomfort and difficulty sleeping the two nights prior.  Dr. Leeke had checked on me throughout that weekend and I had already scheduled to see him in his office that next Monday morning.  But that Sunday evening it turned into severe pain and the inability to take a full breath.  Dr. Leeke strongly suggested that I go to the hospital ER.  Anne dutifully drove me to St. Francis ER and our great friend Debra came by to keep Anne company.  I was well cared for by Dr. Thorn and the staff, who took interest in my Appalachian Trail story and checked my blog as we went through our testing.  The tests consisted of blood and urine tests, an ultrasound, x-rays and finally a CT scan.  As the results came in I went through a progression of thinking I had a gall bladder issue, to a clot in the lungs to finally the pneumonia diagnosis.  I guess if I had to choose one of the three I'd happily take the pneumonia.  My heel, by the way, has healed up nicely and I can now put shoes and socks back on.

That right heel looks better, huh?

The good news is that my body seems to be responding well to the antibiotic treatment, which is nearly complete.  I am completely pain and fever free now, and starting to work a little exercise in with my personal trainer KOA - just gentle bike rides and walking at this point.  I'm going to add to the exercise a bit each day and try to get myself ready to resume the hike.  My doctor wants to see another x-ray a week after the antibiotic treatment is over to make sure the lungs are clear.

I am just now starting to feel well enough to start thinking about when I can resume the hike.  I think that if the healing continues to go as well as it seems to be, that late next week would be the time I could think about heading back up to northeast Virginia and picking up where I left off.

The month off due to injury and illness has changed my approach to completing the hike.  I have two important family events coming up that I am excited about.  July 30th is the due date for the birth of our first granddaughter to son Phil and Andrea out in Ashland, OR.  I am told that grandson Austin is as excited as I am about that.  Then on August 9th my niece Stephanie will be married to her fiance Matt. I am pretty pumped about both those events, so I will be back off the trail again in August and early September to attend to them.  My plan is to hike in June and July without a target destination, just to get as far as I comfortably can.  Then I'll get off the trail for my family events, and finally get back on in September to complete the hike.  Son Kevin in Austin tells me that despite my having moved the end date around so much he still plans to join me for that final week and the ascent of Mt. Katahdin.

I plan to use the remaining time I have at home to prepare for the second half of the hike and to visit the kids at Frazee and share some of my experiences so far.  I hope to get to the Frazee Center this week.  Remember that one of the objectives of this hike is to raise funds to support the great work that is done there.  Check out the video to the right of the main blog page if you haven't done so yet.  I'll also be spending some time at the local outfitter stores with the objective being to find the right socks and trail shoes, and to lighten the load, for the second half of this journey.  I have to say that as much as this past month has been "off plan" it has been great to be home with Anne for Mother's Day, her birthday and Memorial Day.  It has been great spending time with family and  friends, and I definitely have been recharged and put a few pounds back on.  Anne says you can't see my ribs from the back anymore.  Those pints of ice cream seem to be doing the trick.  Now, I am excited about getting a move on again!

A Week Off the Trail

I am pondering the fact that it has now been a week since I last hiked on Monday, May 5th. I've had time to do a lot of reflecting... and I have several thoughts to share. First, as Anne and I were driving back to Greenville, my mood had shifted from discouragement to gratitude. I was grateful for Anne having come to rescue me, for the care that I knew I would receive back in Greenville, and for the time I would have with family. I insisted on driving back, since Anne had driven seven hours to get to Front Royal, Virginia. She arrived there at about 9:00 PM and grabbed a bite to eat (to go). I grabbed a cup of coffee and we headed right back to Greenville. By all rights I should have been exhausted, but something kicked in and kept me alert enough to drive straight through to Greenville. We arrived about 4:00 AM.

Do not try this thread trick.  It was still clear at the time



 

 

By the end of that first day in Greenville, my doctor (who happens to rock, by the way - Dr. Terrell Leeke) had examined my foot and determined that I had developed a staph infection and had me on an antibiotic treatment. I guess that confirmed for me that my intuition had not failed me when I felt strongly that I needed to get off the trail. The bad news was that he was certain that it was going to take at least a couple of weeks to heal. Here's what had happened: I developed the large blister on my heel. I popped the blister that first evening, but it sealed back off and refilled. The next morning, one of my fellow hikers asked if I knew about the thread trick to keep a blister from refilling. It basically involved passing a needle with some thread on it through the blister and then leaving the thread in place in order to keep the blister fluid flowing out of two holes. The problem is that the thread was not sterile. In effect, I broke "nature's perfect wound cover" and introduced the grime that lead to infection. (Dr. Leeke: "Don't do that again.")

Gnarly infection

I have to also give a shout out to Nikki Wilke, who knows a lot about wound treatment and provided some great advice, and to her mom, Ann Schoffield, who has provided me with some essential oils with antibiotic properties to keep me healthy when I resume the hike. Thanks for caring!

Thursday morning of last week, Anne and I started the drive down to Austin, Texas where we are visiting our son Kevin. We arrived Friday evening after two leisurely days of driving. We have enjoyed some great meals and conversation since. We are having the opportunity to catch up with good friends. Yesterday, I played the role of Sous Chef to Kevin's Main Chef position and we prepared a birthday dinner for Anne that was to die for. (Not bragging... just the facts.) All in all, I know our time here is just what I need.





Anne's birthday feast

The Two Chefs

 We will start the drive back to Greenville sometime Friday afternoon and be back by late Saturday. The frustrating part for me is that with a "bad wheel" I can't do too much more than sit, with my foot elevated. We do a little getting out and walking around, but I still don't put weight on the heel of my right foot. I have opted several times to stay at Kevin's home while Anne and Kevin have gone out for errands. It was a quick transition for me from 20+ mile hiking days to couch potato. On the one hand, I am worried about losing my conditioning. On the other, I know that my whole body is doing some healing that will be helpful when I get back on the trail.

A shout out to Joey Fuseler with the Mast General Store. He is a specialist in all things outdoors, and he is assessing my boot/trail shoe/foot/blister situation and providing some great advice. I look forward to getting back to Greenville and using next week to figure out any "tweaks" in my hiking approach for the second half.

One of the outcomes of this unscheduled time off is that I know now that I will not be able to complete the hike by the "end of July/start of August" that I had initially hoped for. I have two important family events happening in that timeframe, the birth of our first granddaughter and the marriage of a niece. I have decided that instead of trying to "go fast and finish" in the second half I am going to hike as far as I am able from the time my foot has healed through the end of July, get off the trail for those family events, and then finish the hike in late September.

It won't be too long after I resume the hike that I will hit the official half way point. One of the things I am looking forward to is the 1/2 gallon challenge that hikers take on after crossing the 1/2 way mark. The challenge is to eat 1/2 gallon of ice cream in a single setting. I think I can do that... I've been training by eating Blue Bell and Ben and Jerry's pints during my recovery.

This Wasn't in the Plan

It is with terribly mixed feelings that I report on status today. (This is Tom.) As I write this, I am sitting in the Front Royal, VA library - a very nice facility. Anne is driving up here to pick me up. Somehow I developed a horrendous blister on the heel of my right foot hiking to the Terrapin Station hostel last night. I had been somewhat successful dealing with toe blisters, which have presented a fairly continuous battle, but this was different. I popped and treated the huge blister last night, but it continued to throb during the night, keeping me from getting any reasonable sleep. When I got up this morning and showed it to some of my fellow hikers they said that was the worst one they had seen. Blazer: "Can I get a picture of that?" Nails: "Oh my... you are really going to have to be careful with that one!" I popped it again this morning, put neosporin and a non-adhesive sterile pad on it, then covered it with Hypafix. I went into town with the rest of the hikers to resupply, thinking I would then test that foot with a short hike today. But trying to get the hiking boot on was out of the question.

I am going to take a week or so off to heal, reflect on anything I might do differently with regard to boots/shoes, and think about ways to reduce pack weight a little, since we are now into the warmer weather. So a part of me feels like I have failed and wonders why I haven't been able to keep healthy like many of the other hikers out there. It is very discouraging. On the other hand, here is the positive side... I am very excited about being able to spend some time with Anne and young son Kevin over Mother's Day and Anne's birthday (May 12th). When we first discussed this hike we talked about my taking some time off during this part of the calendar... and for some reason decided against it. I am now convinced that it is going to be a very good thing overall.

I had mentioned in an earlier post that Solomon had agreed to replace my boots, and that I went to 1/2 size larger. I am convinced that I needed that space in the toe box, because my feet have probably grown or swollen during the hike thus far. However, in addition to going up a half size I also left my Superfeet insole out. I think I may have created too much space around the heel and left out the firmer protection that the Superfeet insole provides. Anyway, I am going to get some expert advice and decide on the best move. Most of the other hikers have switched from a boot to a trail shoe since the weather is warming up. The trail shoes usually create less of a blister situation, but don't offer the ankle protection and don't hold up to the wear and tear of the Pennsylvania rocks that I will be seeing in the second half of that state's portion of the trail. I have a weak left ankle from a basketball injury I had years ago. Hmmm... a lot to consider.

Aargh... I was only about three good days of hiking from Harper's Ferry, WV. But, I am looking forward to some healing time and some family time. What a trooper Anne is to jump in the car and come rescue me. Hey folks, don't give up on me... I'm going to finish this thing. Frazee kids and staff, let me know if you'd like me to come out one afternoon and give you a bit of a status report thus far and answer any questions before I get back on the trail. I may post a picture of the blister when I get back, although Anne says she doesn't wnat to see it. What do you all think?

Bears, Blisters and Blackberry Milkshakes

Tom is staying at Terrapin Station Hostel at about mile 960 before heading off to Harpers Ferry midday. That is the mid way point and the location of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Headquarters. He should roll into town by the weekend.

Terrapin Hostel



One of the great experiences of hiking through the Shenandoah National Forest as he said in the last post is the Waysides that are on the trail are every so often. These offer a café, store and a resting place. He enjoyed this plate at Big Meadow Wayside complete with a cold blackberry milkshake and lunch plate earlier in the week. He said yes, it was as good as it looks!

He has had a bear experience and Tom wants all the kids at Frazee Dream Center to know that the bear actually ran from Tom; just as it should have then turned back to check him out! If you look closely in the photo below you can see the black bear behind the tree.

 

Tom is looking forward to sharing his videos and photos upon his return with the students at The Frazee Dream Center. I encourage you to check out their Facebook page or web site. Amazing things are always happening there with their great staff and volunteers and mentors.  There is also a link on Tom's main blog page: http://mexbuki2014.blogspot.com    
They can always use more volunteers and funding.
A hike would not be complete without blisters and a few have cropped up. At days end Tom is wearing flip flops to give the feet a rest.

Anne