With the help of the prednisone, naproxin and norco, and a madingly slow pace, I made it to Rock Gap by 6 pm. It had been raining steady with hail for the last three hours. So when Ron Havens himself showed up in a warm van, I could not have been happier.He grew up in the area, worked for the Forest Agency from when he was in eighth grade, and have been all through these mountains since. He was a wealth of knowledge, and it was a pleasure talking with him.
He told me to just ask at the desk, and there would be someone to take me to the clinic in the morning.
Sure enough, one of his friends showed up to take me, and waited for me against my objections. These people go way out of their way to help us out.
The doctor was great. A hiker herself, and she knew her way around a knee. She confirmed that it was tendonitis, gave me a script for a more powerful antinflamatory, and told me that with a few days rest, icing, and compression that I should be ready to get back on the trail!
I got back to the motel, got numbers for restaurants that deliver, ordered some lunch, sat in bed with a bag of ice on my knee, ate my sandwich, and started updating my blog.
Onward to Katahdin!
So glad to hear you're back on the trail! Thanks for the follow on Twitter! I'm looking forward to following your AT journey! Happy hiking! :)
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to hear about the difficulties that you have had with your knee. The flip side of this, however, is that we may actual get to meet before you get to PA. I am heading back to Franklin on the 10th and plan on continuing my pace (13mi a day) through the smokies, so we may actually meet up in the smokies. Regardless of whether I catch up or not, just take it easy so that you knee has chance to heal.
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Robin