The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

First, the good. My doctor thinks my injury is minor (in the grand scheme) and that I'll heal up all right. No ligament damage. The bad: it's probably a "pre-stress fracture" type condition, where there is some level of bone damage. He thinks I need a couple of weeks of rest and light activity on the leg and I should be fine, with no long-term consequences. I had x-rays today and I'll know more on Monday. However, I'm out for at least 2-3 weeks. He thinks I could get back on the trail after about 3-4 weeks, but only if I were hiking about 5 miles per day, at best. That's not going to cut it, since a 12 mile per day pace is necessary to finish in 6 months. In other words, it looks like I'm done. I probably began the slide downhill while trying to haul through the Smokies to beat that winter storm. I felt strong, physically, the entire time. Nevertheless, I did too much, too soon, and now here I am, back in Arlington. Another good lesson for me in patience. Of course, he also indicated that if I had kept going, I'd have a full blown stress fracture in a couple of days, so it looks like my decision to leave the trail was a correct one and saved me a longer rehabilitation. I've learned a lot through my adventure and this is a great lesson in patience and listening to my body.

Perhaps I'll finish that last section of TN later this year. Only 37.6 more miles to Damascus....

Oh yes, and the ugly! That would be me. I've got to shave and cut my hair! I've crossed the line into vagrancy....

Thanks again for the support. The prognosis is a bit disappointing, but it is the way it must be. I'm refreshed and ready to head back to the lab...

--Matt