'05 AT Thru Hike

“Yeah, it sounds like Giardia to me.”

“The good news is that I've finally lost my "handles", something I couldn't even do in the 80's when I was in my mid-30's and ran 100 to 200 miles per month. I weighed between 150 and 155 then, so Lord knows what I weigh now. Started out at about 180.

Enjoy it while it lasts. You'll get it back as soon as you return.

Good luck and enjoy! Hope you feel better soon.”

“Embear - there are some medical authorities that believe it was from dancing around that bonfire with you. Too much excitement for a man my age.”

“Ha Ha!”

“Ha ha! You think that made you sick? Hell, it made you better!

That was fun BTW....”

“It made a dying man happy.”

“Yo NF,

You've got mail (at the addy listed here on your TT profile).”

“Good luck NF. Hope you feel better and are able to get back on the trail soon.”

“i dont think it sounds like giardia. but you could be right about the lyme disease. ill re-read your post about the symptoms”

“Just got back from the Doc's. He concurrs on the Giardia, tho says that it's milder than most. Wrote me an rx for flagyll; I should be fine in a couple of days. I paid only $20.00 for the office visit and $3.00 for the medication (insurance on the meds was $2.35). Can't help but think someone gave me a serious hiker discount. BTW, I started this hike weighing about 180, got down to 160 by Hot Springs and stayed that way. This bug has me down to 149. I can't eat solids for another 24 hours, but at least I know there's an end to all this. I'm guessing I'll be back on the trail in 2-3 days.”

“Excellent news!”

“Glad to hear it NF!

You'll need a couple of days of good eating probably to get your strength back up after being off your feed for so long.”

“Get better soon and good luck.”

“Glad you know what's been holding you down. Get better soon.”

“Good morning. I finished my first solid meal in a week about 90 minutes ago and feel quite good. Bacon, eggs, blueberry muffin, milk and coffee. I admit to being quite apprehensive since my relationship with food hasn't been the best for awhile, but everything seems to be staying where it's supposed to. Depending on my strength I may hit the trail again on Monday. My plan is to feel strong and add one day for getting stable...not the mental kind. Thanks for your support and caring comments, but in the future just send money. j/k.”

“Hi,

A few days ago, in the early a.m., I was laying in the shallows of the
Housatonic River just outside of Great Barrington, Ma. It had been very hot
for days; supposed reliable water sources were dried up and the mosquitoes
were having a field day. As I lay there feeling the luxury of moving water
(and PCB's) wash over me, I thought about how much I wanted to just stay in
the river and not have to walk on that day or any other. Just that
quickly I knew with a certainty that my hike was over. I continued sitting
there for a some time, both reflecting on the hike and pondering the future
and thinking about what this decision might mean to those who are close to
me. Quite quickly I realized that hiking or not hiking had nothing to do
with them; it was all about me. Rinsing the sand from my feet, I slowly
dressed and turned south on the trail back toward Great Barrington with my
mind made up to go home.

Upon reaching town I rented a room and called my son to tell him of my
decision. Oddly, I told no one else and have since posted nothing online.
I walked through the heat back to the center of town to buy a bus ticket to
Richmond, the city where my son lives. Still, though, I called no one else
to tell them of my decision. I remember thinking it odd, but the decision
still felt comfortable and quite final, although I recall not feeling good
about starting something and not finishing it. It's always been important
to me to be kinown as someone who finishes what he starts. Dependable and
reliable are important words to me. I remember awakening in the middle of
the night, feeling this odd and vague discomfort with my decision. I
shrugged it off and resigned myself to a night of damned-if-you-do,
damned-if-you-don't lack of sleep. That's exactly what I got.

As always, I arose early, showered, dressed and had a good breakfast in the
restaurant across the street. I ate slowly, savoring the last breakfast of
my aborted thru hike and read another strange newspaper in another strange
town. I returned to my room, packed my back pack for the last time and left
for the bus stop a full two and one half hours before it was scheduled to
depart.

The bus arrived in the mid-day heat and I settled into my seat for my first
lengthy bus ride since the 1960's...when I had sworn to never ride a bus
again. This particular bus was to take me into New York City where I would
transfer to a Greyhound coach and end up in Richmond, Va at about midnight.
The trip was mostly uneventful and I chatted amiably with a native of NYC
about whatever people talk about on long bus rides. For awhile we chatted
about the Appalachian Trail, my decision to terminate the hike and her vast
knowledge of all things New York. She expressed serious misgivings about
the type of adventure I had been on and was clearly as fearful about the
environment I have learned to move about and live safely in as I am of hers.
When we were finally in New York City this lady began to share with me
little bits of history regarding the various neighborhoods we went through.
A young man who was clearly mentally challenged and sitting in the seat
behind us began to chant the same information the lady was sharing. It
wasn't a problem and we continued our conversation only peripherally aware
of his distant echo.

Suddenly I was struck in the back by his fist. A lightning bolt out of the
blue; totally unexpected and unprovoked. Quickly I turned and looked at
him. All he said was that I was "in his way", as if he had been trying to
see something on the other side of me and my physical presence had blocked
his view. Evidently I was assaulted for not being transparent. I had no
idea of what to do. For several reasons on which I will not elaborate,
retaliation was not a viable option, so I just said firmly "do NOT do that
again". Well, he didn't so it must have worked. If there is a point to
this (and there is), it is to illustrate to all of my friends that nothing
like this ever happened to me on the trail. A hiker has never assaulted me,
not one of the 15 bears I saw on the trail ever took umbrage at me and the
snakes all slithered away. Other than that spider who spun a web in my
right ear, I had no close encounters with any wild creature, and I believe
the intent of the spider to have been benign. I was only assaulted by a
single human being while in the so called mecca of civilization. Evidently
a very dangerous place tobe. Locales where large amounts of people tend to
congregate just aren't very safe.

My son picked me up at the Richmond bus terminal at about 1:00 a.m. Both of
us were very tired and talked little on the way to his townhouse. I met his
new dog, Leila, a beautiful chocolate lab, and then collapsed on his couch
to another night of fitful sleep. During my second night of tossing and
turning I dreamt of parts of the trail as yet unseen, in particular New
Hampshire and Maine. The unanswered question was did I want to quit my hike
without seeing the parts of the trail that were the most fascinating to me
personally? With early morning came sleep, but still no answers, but
sometime during the day my mind began to once again welcome the thought of
continuing the adventure. That's fundamentally important, the word
"adventure". It has to be fun again and it's up to me to make it so. I
have always claimed that one of my few gifts in life is my capacity tor
making the mundane very enjoyable and it's now time to make use this gift.
Tomorrow I'm going to see the Outfitter for a few new pieces of gear to help
me during the weather that eventually has to cool (it does, doesn't it?) and
make plans to get on another bus and head north for another start. If I see
that guy on the bus again maybe I should take a little preemptive strike...

Anyway, that's what's going on with me. Still (barely) hanging in there.

Ray”

“i am so glad you decided to go back. upper new england is by far the best part. i guess one piece of advice i should have given you is, if you ever feel like quitting, just take a few days or even a week off, and then if you still want to quit, quit, but dont quit cold turkey. ive seen people quit, only to regret that decision almost immediately. make that decision when youre not exhausted and soul-weary and you have a little perspective.

but make no mistake. the upcoming part of the trail will be the hardest part. it is a major buttkicker. the whites will be the worst, and the mahoosucs will be almost as bad. your miles per day will drop in the last two states. but its going to be worth it. good luck.”

“besides, dude just kicked giardia's butt. you have defineitely earned your place on the trail now! just filter your damn water!”

“I sure hope the AT rules don't say you have to start over if you go off the trail.

Glad you're back nimblefoot! You can do it.”

“I sure hope the AT rules don't say you have to start over if you go off the trail

of course not. everybody takes some time off, even if its only one day every few weeks. i would typically take a day off every 120-150 miles. i had two extended leaves off the trail, one for 6 days, and one for 12 days, and also a mini-vacation for 4 days.”

“when i took the 6 day vacation, i was getting burnt out and really ready for some time off. i zeroed one day in bland, va 3 days at traildays, and 2 days trailbuilding.

the 12 days was when i lost my atm card and so had no money. i got off the trail and stayed first with a friend of treebeard and mapleleaf, then at the treehouse. i am not ashamed to admit i cried bitter tears of frustration (and more than a little self-pity) in the gazebo at the church in delaware water gap, just like many cry tears of joy upon reaching the summit of katahdin. it is a very emotional journey, and i know that the decision nimblefoot made was not made lightly (even if it was a little hasty).
last edited: 8/07/05 10:01:09 AM”

“crash - Is there a link to an online journal of your journey?”

“its about 80 percent complete. some day i will complete it”

“crash, I got the e-mail, too. Maybe he didn't want that posted here, since he hadn't posted it here. Or maybe he doesn't care....

I debated putting it on here, cuz it's written well and is pretty inspirational... but didn't, figuring he would at some point if he wanted to.”

“Maybe the guy was just trying to knock some sense into your head! LOL.

You've done fine. You definitely have my respect, not matter what. Of course, you already had my respect long before this hike. It won't ever change.

I do have one thought, however. There's bragging rights. I have some as long as I continue in aikijutsu. But, if I discontinue it prior to receiving a first black belt, I'll have little to no bragging rights. That's all the general public can understand and give recognition. There have been times when it would have been easy to give it up. But then there are some great days, upon which I try to focus. I may never reach my first goal, but I fight myself to keep it in sight. I feel I owe it to my instructor. He has a lot of time and effort invested in me, and he'll get recognition, too, for guiding probably the oldest man in history to achieve such a goal.

In your case you are your own instructor. You owe it to yourself to do whatever is right for yourself.

With regard to your feelings, I experience something like it every trip to GSMNP. I usually leave without reaching my weight goals. I reach a point where my mind tells me to go home. Usually, I then drive about 12 hours through most of the night after coming off a trail. I always regret it later, but immediately start planning and looking forward to the next trip.

I'm proud of you, good buddy.”

“black belt is the beginning - it means you grasp the basics - don't stop at black belt”

“oops, sorry, nimby. hope you dont mind i posted that. i was caught up in the excitement of the drama.

lizs: net nanny BUFFALO!

:-P
last edited: 8/07/05 10:37:37 AM”

“my daughter (who i am holding while i type) was born in february this year. i was not sure how this would effect my love for hiking and being around all these crazy people on this site. reading your entries of adventure this year on the trail have done something to me. while i am not planning on making a push to hike the at any time soon, i made a promise to myself. the first portion will be completed before the year concludes. i will be getting the right knee fixed like i did with the left 2 years ago. this will help me with distance. also, i promise to get my daughter out into the woods. i will be taking her on a short dayhike in about 15 minutes. what i am trying to say is that you have re-kindled the fire inside of me. i hope you finish this monster. take it slow. take it easy. have fun.

if you need anything, e-mail me! i will be happy to help in any way. oh, by the way, my daughter says

2IOIUHGBYGHBTGY64ER”

“Sarge - You're correct, it is like completing an introductory course. Then, after the basics, one can really start to learn. (I did say "first b.b.)”

“LOL, CB. Net nanny maybe someday you'll SEE a buffalo!”

“I'm glad to see you're going back. What happened to you is not uncommon. I had one friend whose mother drove from St. Louis to pick her up, then home, then back to the trail a week later and home again.

As Crash Bang said, best is to give it a few days. Usually after a few days of being clean and well fed, you start looking around at 'civilization' and it doesn't take long before you decide "I'm ready for the trail again." aka "Get me outta here!"”

“Thanks for all your input and concern. I hope to leave for the trail on Friday. I got some stuff coming from REI on Thursday and then I'll be set. I think when I got smacked by that guy in NYC it may have jolted me back into trail mode. I sort of wonder if it could have been Treebeard? Didn't he get put in jail last year for some sort of violent behavior? Sounds like a pattern to me.”

“Ha Ha!”

“Glad to see you're getting back on the trail. I have received your latest entries, but have been too busy this weekend to type them in. I'll get to it sometime this week.”

“Hi, I'm in Manchester, Vt and doing well. First 2-3 days on the back on the trail were pretty rough. Looking back I believe the Giardia was still having an effect. That may explain why I just laid around at my son's house. It's good to be in Vermont. It's truly beautiful. Snobby but beautiful. Hiking into town this morning I asked a lady in a volvo where the "real" people ate breakfast. She stuck her nose up in the air and sniffed "McDonalds". God, how I despise people like that. I always seem to want to fart in their presence...and sometimes do. I mailed Bit some journal entries today. Nothing else to say except that I'm purifying the hell out of that water. If I were to be saved the water would have to be treated before I'd let them baptize me. Adios”

“Whoo Hoo! Keep going dude!”

“Good hearing from you! Keep on truckin'!”

“I don't know what part of Vermont you're talkin' about......oh yeah, Manchester.....never been there.

Where I lived the trailer-dwellers were not exactly snobby but they were a bit cold to "flatlanders".”

“MarkO - I don't think it's the locals that are snobby, but the out of towners or the recently arrived elite. Vermont has been great especially in terms of hitching a ride...just like being in the south.”

“Congrats to you, Nimblefoot! I'm envious that you are out there. :) You've got some beautiful hiking ahead of you in the Green & White Mountains. :)”

“I hope the dude get's through with it before the mountains turn white!”

“Its good to hear you are all better and back on the trail. I am sure your body will take some time to get back the strength you did have. Good luck!”

“Hi,

I'm in Norwich, Vt and headed for Hanover in as long as it takes me to eat some food. Everything is going well, though my Leki Super Makalu trekking pole did snap in half a few days ago. I'll get a new one in West Lebanon. You're right, Embear, it did take me awhile to get my strength back, but I'm fine now. Looking forward to seeing Mile Monster and picking up my cold weather gear for the final assault.”

“Cool! Keep going. I got your last bunch of entries but have yet to enter them. School has started, and we are now enslaved to my daughter's homework.”

“2 more states to go! You are almost there”

“Lui Lui's has excellent brick oven pizza and it's right in the Powerhouse Mall with EMS & LLBean, if your interested. :)

Glad to hear you are doing well and making such great progress! Have a blast in the Whites!!!”

“Dude, I am so stoked for you.

Me=next spring.


Good luck NF”

“On Wednesday in Hanover, NH I ran into some soggy fellow who was passing himself off as the thru-hiker named Nimblefoot. Like all thru-hikers, he had both hands out; one with the thumb up begging for a ride, the other with the palm up begging for food. Deciding to help the needs of both of his hands, I pulled over. The hiker limped to the vehicle, confirming that odd contradiction that overly used feet act alot like brand new feet in the way that they seem to respond to, or more precisely take into consideration, owner demands, but differ from new feet in that they feel like the raw nerves were mistakenly placed on the outhside of the skin instead of on the inside where they should be. He bumped his head and shut his fingers in the door, having not had much practice at getting in a car recently. He gripped the "oh-#&%!$ handle firmly" as we "speeded" down the road at 30 MPH, approximately 27-28 mph faster than he was used to.

At town the odd hiker's eyes darted quickly around and his brain tried in vain to process all of the fast-paced activity in the busy town of Hanover, pop 5,000. At dinner he insited that they serve him his food in the pot they fixed it in. He also complained that having a knife, fork, AND spoon was really and waste of weight and asked where the sporks were. He dropped chemicals in his iced tea and waited 20 minutes before he drank it. After dinner he suddenly jumped up and ran outside with a roll of toilet paper yelling something about a "code red."

Next, I took him to the store where he pushed a cart around a googled at all the choices. At the check-out he had three items in his cart - a salami, a block of cheese, and more toilet paper. "This should last me two-and-a-half days 'til Glencliff" he said.

As I drove him back to his hotel he started to doze off. At 6:45 PM it was, after all, terribly late.

I shook his hand, then I washed mine, and we bid farewell. Good luck the-thruhiker-known-as-Nimblefoot. The way north is beautiful.



PS - Nimblefoot is hiking north through NH! He seemed to be in good health and good spirits. It was a pleasure meeting him. I'm glad he took the time to meet me along his journey.”