May

May 14, 2003- It's been a while since my last posting but basically there has been little to write about. I realize this is frustrating to those who have been checking regularly and I wanted to let you know that I appreciate your patience.

Basically, my leg is still not trail worthy. I will spare you the gruesome details but the doctor I am going to has decided that it is time for more aggressive procedures and has scheduled a MRI. I am waiting for a phone call from his office to find out when. At this point it looks like I will not be returning to the trail any time soon. If I woke up tomorrow feeling great, I would still want to exercise hard for 2 to 3 weeks before heading out. That would put me a full 2 months behind schedule making it virtually impossible for me to complete the trail in my allotted time frame.

My other option will be to take my time, do whatever it takes to rebuild my leg, perhaps find a part time job, and wait till March 2004. If I choose this option I may choose to also update and change some of the things I use while hiking. The main item is my rain suit. The suit I have has already started to delaminate and is should probably be replaced. I am also considering taking a digital rather than film camera. The cost of digitizing my film shocked me. I figure the cost of purchasing and digitizing 12 rolls of film is more than the camera will cost me. There are a few more items that I am thinking about but basically everything has worked to my expectations and satisfaction.

Initially, I was angry and annoyed by the circumstances but I've taken a cue from baseball and remembered that there will always be a next year. I just hope that I don't break the Chicago Cubs record of, "waiting till next year".

May 29, 2003- This will be my final entry for a while. It seems that I managed to tear the cartilage in the left knee. The prognosis if for a long slow recovery and surgery has not been ruled out. We are looking at a minimum of 3 more months before I become trail capable again. So I am looking at March 2004 when I will start another attempt.