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At the top on the last day
At the top on the last day
Originally uploaded by warhow
I have been receiving emails asking where’s Mike
Well, As you know my knees were bad and I had to come home. I went back for a week’ish and hiked an additional 100 miles. First I went about 80 miles and then three days off and two more days of hiking for an additional 23 miles.
The knees were swollen and sore. A fellow walking next to me heard my knees crunching and encouraged me to get off and fix the knees and come back. We went back into the Hostel and it became the topic of conversation. There was an orthopedic nurse, who felt that if I continued the walk I could do more damage and that damage may restrict the type of repair I could get. She explained about a cap on the bones, similar to the cap you get on your teeth. This would be better than actually cutting off the bone and hammering in a fake knee. Faster heal and less pain. I’m all for that.
So I left, came home and saw my Family Doctor. He also said that I would likely need knee surgery. So I have an appointment with the Knee Doc. on Thursday 8-21.
It was hard to leave, I felt disappointed about not making more miles. I was really getting into the hiking and I was enjoying the walking, people, camping… I do feel good about the progress I did make. Hiking about 280 miles isn’t too bad. I have been told that the sections in New Jersey and New York I did are one of the most difficult. I plan on stopping in at Wal-Mart for a new set of knees. I plan on pursuing the surgery and going back and continuing the hike as soon as I am able.
Thank you for your emails, postings. They met a lot to me while on the trail. Always bringing a smile to my face, and often to others in the shelter with me.
When I got home I checked the donation sites and noticed that not everyone has donated. Come on folks, give a little. I did walk over 280 miles (granted some of it was when I got lost and had to retrace my steps). Even at ten cents a mile, it’s only $28.00 and the charities can really use the money for the great work they do.
I’ll keep everyone informed on how the knee drama unfolds. I wonder how hard it would be to do long distance Kayaking? Maybe the Intercostal??
Mike
Sent from my BlackBerry device from Cincinnati Bell Wireless
