Giving up backpacking

“No more backpacking for me. Arthritis won't let me get that far from the car, much less haul a load in the process. Sucks a big one. And only 42.....”

“sorry to hear it.. no drugs that can help?”

“turn in your pack and boots, at the door.

the secretary will provide you with your retirement package.”

“Don't give up Hobbit. I suffer from fibromyalgia. Yeah,it hurts. I see a pain specialist that has helped to keep going. Shop around and find a doc/med that will help you.”

“Ask bpbaby what kinds of things she does to keep going. There are ways around this. She has arthritis in both feet and she still hikes. Surely there is a workaround here.”

“Come over tothe ultralight side.”

“"Mind over Matter"

Iffin you don't mind the pain , it don't matter!!!!!”

“the light side is the dark side!

ohhhh!!! the confusion!!!!”

“CarrolAnne go toward the light, no go away from the light, no go towards it...

Where is the dimminutive parapsychologist?”

“I'm sorry to hear this news, Hobbit. Let us know if there is a breakthrough that will allow you to resume. In fact, this should be thread if not an article on the BP.com website. Hiking with pain, the causes and cures.

And, Hobbit, remember to continue to fill your life with beauty.”

“You may want to try Vioxx or some of the other new arthritis "wonder" drugs...they can do wonders, talk to your doctor about side effects. Talking to a good doctor can really help, my doc is a hiker and skier...he has been putting me back together so I can keep hiking for the last 15 years.There are also some mental techniques you can learn that help deal with the pain.”

“Sorry to hear of your plight, Mr.hobbit. You're most welcome to live vicariously through any of my trip reports.”

“Hobbit - That's too bad. I'm sorry to hear that. I hope something owrks out for you. I hate to see a hiker go down...”

“Tough decision!”

“Sorry to hear that....and so young.”

“You have probably tried it but just in case Glucosamine an MSM I have arthritis in my hands works wonders!!”

“What you do is make a trade. You have someone carry the majority of your gear and you teach them your art of photography.

Also I would recommend a supplement called JSF (Joint Support Formula). It contains mostly glucosamine and chondroitin. Takes about 4-6 weeks to notice a difference though. But it does help.”

“What you do is make a trade. You have someone carry the majority of your gear and you teach them your art of photography.

Also I would recommend a supplement called JSF (Joint Support Formula). It contains mostly glucosamine and chondroitin. Takes about 4-6 weeks to notice a difference though. But it does help.”

“sorry about the double post”

“Hobbitt....Take a little advice from a man your age Plus 7 years, one who has way to many Parachute drops, and way to many hard dings from years of military service...I had terrible problems with my joints as a result, and then I found DHEA, a naturally occuring Male Hormone that promotes a number of changes in the body, one in particular, and that's the healing and strengthening of the joints. Do a little research into DHEA.”

“Heritatery Spastic Paraplesia (sp?) is prevalant in my family - I have two brothers and a sister that have suffered greatly from the diseases affects.

It's reassuring to know that there are wonderful backcountry destinations that are easily accessable by car, and that I could visit these places in the event that I am someday no longer able to bp...

Keep going for it, Hobbit.”

“hobbit...i used to go to bed with "arther" and wake up with "ben" (bengay)...:) Now, i just wake up with "arther" I have him in my r. wrist, l.knee and r. ankle. I have to stretch all those and more before i get out of bed every day...
but, i have taken the "use it or lose it"/keep it fluid" approach with "my" particular strain of arthritis....for me personally..the yoga has been the magic bullet and so far have not had to take any sort of medicine......i know there are many different forms of arthritis tho.......all the above suggestions from everyone are good ways to manage....so, get to KNOW your arthritis and YOUR body and dance around it.......so, if ya can't backpack....do something else to get out there! move it or lose it!

....get .someone to carry your stuff,
....get a hennessey hammock (lite) (sit down and lie back to get in, sit up and put your feet down to get up..easy!) a mesh pocket hammock is also a good "lounge chair" instead of sitting on the ground
....take day hikes as far as you can
....keep taking pictures of the beautiful places you go!
like neil young said..."better to burn out than to rust out"”

“move to California, get some medical marijuana... but then you'd need to carry more food... that would be a heavier load! what to do what to do”

“Sorry to hear about that, Hobbit. I remember you were here when I started hanging around this looney bin over 3 years ago. I'm being bothered by arthritis in the knees myself. It was interesting to read Ruffian's post. I'm gonna look into that stuff. Good luck.”

“Hobbit. I climbed Colorado's 2d highest fourteener with a guy who has arthritis. He is only 27. Sometimes he can barely walk. He takes medication to control the pain and walks with a limp in both legs. He was such an inspiration to the entire group. He plays tennis, better than I could ever dream of playing, he skis, snowboards, runs and does just about everything people without arthritis can do. I hope you can find a way to get back out there again.”

“There's much much more to life than backpacking or day-hiking.

Backpacking is about going. You know, getting out there and seeing what life brings. Not everyone has this opportunity and we should just take a day at a time. Even if there's hardship, be grateful of where you've been and what you've experienced.

If tomorrow you change your mind, great. If not, that's okay too. While we walk this earth, the hike never really ends and there's always places to go and people to see.

Go in peace.”

“I don't have any advice for ya accept try out some of the stuff that's already been posted.
Get Well Soon!!”

“mountainchick
04:10:47 PM:
"He was such an inspiration to the entire group."

Thanks, mountainchick.
I needed to hear something like that. I had forgotten how good and understanding most BP's can be. I'm planning to be on the Florida ECT Hike and was starting to have second thoughts (but not to the point of not going). I'm not looking to be an inspiration, but just don't want anyone upset because of an age or speed difference. I have no objection to falling behind and finishing each trail leg alone. I know that I will be considerable slower then the others, but I will make it. This will be my first group hike and I'm really excited and looking forward to meeting the others.

Thanks again. aka nowslimmer

-- Hobbit Best of luck. I hope that you do encounter something that will ease your pain. I will pray for some recovery that will permit your return to backpacking.”

“Hobbit, I wanted to add my .02 here, because I was - at 46 - diagnosed with R.A., and thought it would prevent me from enjoying something I had only months before explored in earnest. My first symptoms manifested within two months of finishing my '99 JMT hike.

My R.A. focuses on my wrists and hands, but I'm on med's which keep it in check, allow me to function at 90-95% of normal (occasionally, I have minor "flare-ups"), and also permit me to look toward the future with hope that my condition becomes no worse. If you haven't been to a specialist (internal medicine) who focuses on R.A., then I suggest you see one soon. After a likely series of blood tests to confirm the condition, you would be prescribed, most likely, a combination of treatments which will seem to be the answer to your prayers.

I take 200 mg Celebrex each day, Methotrexate (15 mg) once per week, and keep Prednisone (5 mg tabs) on hand for the flare-ups. I rarely have to take this, but when the R.A. first occurred, it was a godsend to have it. Once on a regular plan of treatment, my doc now believes we can arrest it, perhaps even put it in remission.

All this is to say that I continue to BP and hike, and adjust for the infrequent discomfort of my affliction (though I don't see it as such). If yours is such that medication can allow you up to 90% functionality, don't give up those things you enjoy... simply find a way to adjust and adapt, if feasible, to make it work for YOU.

By the way, you can check out www.arthritis.org too, for more info. Get to it!”

“What happened to old trailtalk? Anyhoo, I got plantarfacitis last spring. I was like being crippled. I'm just now getting to where I can not limp. Belive it or not, my vasque sundowners are my most comfortable shoe. I don't think I can carry a load right now but I got a motorcycle a few months ago and can motorcyle camp. I go places and camp in a wussy campground but go hiking in nearby trails. It's better than nothing. The vioxx really helped me but I did have to suffer through wierd side effects.”

“hiking cures what ails ya. like OM said use it or lose it. lot of truth in that; its what decides it for me in many things. i cant imagine me sitting in a hospital bed or wheelchair wishing id done more "using it" when i had the chance. keep it moving. dont rust away....”

“all the more reason to get that base load under 8lbs”

“Over 30 yrs ago, my father had a nasty fall, of about 80ft to concrete. He broke darn near everything except his neck.

Today, now 70, he still has steel from hip to kneecap (if he had a kneecap) and a badly misshapen foot. By keeping his pack weight down, it wasn't until last year, that he finally hung up his pack.

I know look for areas, that provide alternative means of access, for him, and he continues to enjoy hiking and the outdoors”

“Good news.... sort of. It wasn't arthritis. It's Grave's Disease. They have already done the radioactive iodine treatment, and the doctor says that the pain should subside within 4-6 weeks along with the rest of my symptoms. I hope he's right.”

“Good to hear Hobbit. Did you know you were the first person to email me from TT? Ü

Hang in there man, you will overcome this.”

“Hobbit, you hang in there. Go out on overnighters if longer trips cause too much pain. Don't give up what you enjoy.”

“canoe!!!! that is the answer! it carries your stuff you dont have to, and you just glide through the water silently and can sneek up on all kinds of wildlife. just done give up going out!”

“Hope you can get straightened out and hit the trail again!”