Episode 11: A TEMPORARY Break in the Chain

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN????!?!?!?

I know, I know….I have disappeared for a bit and I sincerely apologize for my major absence. A lot has happened since we’ve last spoken so I would really like to fill you in on my current update. Now, this story isn’t as much fun as normal – – with a couple minor injuries of which to speak…..crap, right??! Man, I was doing so well, too!! – – However, I am okay and the most lovely word I just used was MINOR, so I should be just fine with a little rest!

The last time we spoke, I was just beyond the 400-mile mark and going strong!! There’s so many great stories to share with you between then and now, including crossing the border from Tennessee into Virginia, incredible parties and celebrations of the AT of which I had the pleasure of attending, (Trail Days and pre-Trail Days festivities!!!), more slack-packing, seeing ponies in the Grayson Highlands, (SO amazing – definitely among the top hiking experiences so far!!), reaching the 500-mile marker(🤩), and more and more!!!

But for the time-being, my journey must take a brief pause at mile 534.2, where I made it to Marion, VA and decided it was time to truly listen to my body, as stubborn as I can be!!

I will not bore you with TMI details about my injuries – – I don’t know if you know this BUT I tend to be very detail-driven when I write….I know this must surprise you because it’s not like I have EVER written epically-long posts that take days to read… 😛 However, here is the chain of events leading up to my decision to temporarily leave trail….because YES, I do plan on going back to the AT and continuing on, as far as I can go!!!

SO, here we go. The not-so-fun story: I was slack-packing with my tramily for 20.5 miles one day, about three weeks ago. At around the 9-mile mark, there was a little congestion on the trail, with people coming towards us and behind us. As I was a bit distracted, I ended up moderately rolling my right ankle on a loose rock. Did I pull to the side of the trail and take care of it, with a little rest and a wrap, perhaps?? NOPE! Please learn from my mistake! I thought it would be fine to walk it off and continue for the rest of the 11.5 miles. You know, I was slack-packing so that meant that I could handle the rest of the hike without a problem… 🙄 Well, I made it the entire way and felt alright!!! HOWEVER, the next morning I had a severe pain in the front of my ankle/shin! I must have favored my right ankle so much the previous day that I developed tendinitis from dysfunctional walking patterns.

I made it to Damascus, VA for Trail Days, May 17-19th, and continued to take a few more zero days to give myself more time to heal. Once I felt okay, (notice that I was “okay” and not completely fabulous…I thought that a simple hike would be do-able), I went back out on the trail for a 15-mile slack-pack to test my body and see if I was ready to continue. Would you believe that along the way I somehow stepped in poison ivy? I got back to the hostel after the hike and my calf was twice its normal size with dark red splotches all over it! It was so inflamed and disgusting – – and at the first viewing of my grotesque leg, I had no clue what to make of it!?!?! Did I have a blood clot? Was I somehow losing circulation in my lower leg? Did I get bit by something or step on something of which I am allergic?? Am I dying????? (Sometimes, the over-dramatic side of me takes over!!) I ended up getting a ride to the ER in Damascus, VA, where I was hoping to get some answers. The nurses were pretty convinced that I had stepped in poison ivy and had an allergic reaction, even though I wasn’t itchy at all and I did not develop any blisters. Having never had experience with poison ivy previously, I didn’t know what my body would do if/when it’s touched by poison ivy….if it even was poison ivy!! (There are a few theories as to what else could have caused such a reaction but that is a discussion for another day!) Regardless, I was given a prescription for steroids and sent on my way.

After a few more days of rest, I chose to head back out on the trail. This did not mean that my leg(s) felt perfect, you know? The steroids were definitely helping the tendinitis in my right ankle and the swelling/redness of my left calf..but my left calf was still ridiculously tight from the swelling! And I kept being so impatient to return to the magic of the trail….

And that’s when the final red flag hit me like a ton of bricks! Two Ton and I had ONE amazing hiking day, where we covered ten miles quickly, easily, and painlessly and we ended up staying in a hostel for the night to avoid a rainstorm. The very next day, on mile 10 out of 14, I started to feel that stabbing, tendinitis-starting pain in now my LEFT ankle/shin mid-hike….perhaps my left ankle/shin felt left out of the fun of tendinitis that my right one experienced?? It was so intense that I questioned if I could continue and that’s when I knew that my body needed a lot of attention. I clearly was not giving it time to heal from one injury to the next, resulting in this snowball effect of injuries, one right after the other. NOT GOOD!!! It seemed like the wisest decision to head off the trail for a while rather than push forward and risk serious or even permanent damage to my legs.

So, my fabulous blog family, I am now off trail, taking care of my body and excited to resume the trail when the time is right!

Where am I doing this recovery, you may ask? Well, here is the silver lining of this not-so-fun story!!! While I was going through my various injuries and days off of the trail in hostels, I had company from one of my tramily members, Two Ton.

From my first decision to stay behind in Damascus with tendinitis #1, Two Ton stayed with me because he didn’t want me to be alone. We had been hiking buddies for weeks, me following his lead, and we kept up this strong, quick pace together. He could have continued on with our tramily but instead he chose to stay behind with me and make sure that I was okay.

And so, for the next two weeks as I battled my various crazy injuries, Two Ton was there with me. He helped me in any way that he could – slack-packing with me and rearranging water sources so that I could “ice” my ankle/shin, accompanying me to the ER with my exploding calf, calming my impatience to get back to the trail by his concern that I would do further damage, and just being there for me as I was going through everything that I was. There was even a 4-mile stretch, the end of that 14-mile hike when tendinitis #2 started to kick in, when I doubted if I could finish the hike into Marion, VA. And do you know what he offered to do and then did for me, just so I could make it? He carried my pack for me, along with his own pack, for those 4 miles!!! When hikers try to shed ounces to lighten their pack, here is Two Ton – ready to carry an extra 25 POUNDS to help me out!!!!!??? I am still in awe of his kindness and his heart. A true partner in every sense of the word – he refused to leave me behind because we are a team. ❤️

As I write this post to you, I am sitting in Two Ton’s home in Minnesota. As it turned out, Two Ton was hoping to head home for a bit, to visit family and to work. Like I have mentioned before, this endeavor is very expensive and it’s easy to run low on funds! And since we are a team and had gotten so close, we decided to rent a car and take a road trip to Minnesota!

And so, this is where I shall be for now as I rest, recover, and overcome these silly injuries. But do not fret!!!! (In case you were fretting…😛) I will be fine, I will still fill you in on the missing miles between 400 and 534.2 and their amazing stories, (like I said before, I have some REALLY great ones still to share with you!!) and I will keep you updated on my recovery and my (fingers crossed!) return to the trail!!! This is just a temporary break in the chain of events on the AT…and I foresee covering many more miles and resuming this adventure with all of you!!!

Because we’ve got this!!! We conquer and overcome challenges like this for breakfast. We never give up, we just adjust to the circumstances and continue moving forward. Staying strong and motivated, appreciating where we are, and looking forward to what’s next. When we can continue kickin’ some booty!!!! You know it. 😁 ❤️💪🏼 Lots of love to you!!