Last week was a very tough week for me for several reasons.
First, I was planning to get back out on the trail and hike the last state (Maine) on the way to Katahdin with the people that I hiked with from GA and met along the way. I went out and bought food and other items needed for the trip.
Second, I made arrangements for the trip home from Mt Katahdin.
And Third, I went to the Doctor to get a determination on my condition. This was the basic reason for me to go to him and find out if I would be able to go hike again this year.
His determination of my condition after a 2 hour examination was there would be no more hike this year because I need more tests in the coming 3 weeks.
The first test would be an MRI during the first week to determine where the pain is coming from in my back area.
The second test would be during the second week and it is a Blood Test to determine if there are any spirochetes still alive in my body after taking the 3 week medication program. If there are some alive then I will have to go through another medication program that is stronger than the last.
The third test is a nerve test for my face, being that I got Bell's Palsy because of the tick bite. This test will happen in the beginning of October and it is to determine how much of my face will return to normal from this condition.
So for now, the hike is off. The plan for the future will be to pick up from where I left off and head to the "The Big K" to complete one section hike and possibly turn around and head south for a complete hike to GA.
Let's see what happens with the tests and I will keep you informed to the progress and prognosis.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Today is August 19th and in my original plan, I was to be done with the Trail in just two more days, August 21st to be exact. But because of losing my wallet to start with, then some bad weather, then an ankle problem; we now have to add the final topping to the cake, Lyme disease.
Yes, that's right, I have Lyme disease just as the mileage and time were getting better and the end was near. I felt lousy and the pain in my back was excruciatingly terrible at night that I could not sleep for days on end. Once the doctor diagnosed the problem correctly and got me started on the antibiotics, I started feeling better a few days later with being able to sleep for a few hours at a time to start with. The pain in the back is still there and will be for another few days or until I run out of medication, whichever comes first.
I will be back on the trail at the end of the month and will rejoin my friends in Gorham, NH and lead them to the final dance at the "The Big K". Then I will go to where I dropped off and fill in the remaining part that I had not hiked before.
So until then, I will be resting and recouping till I feel better at the end and then pack everything up and go north with everybody else for the final state.
Till later,
Grizz
Yes, that's right, I have Lyme disease just as the mileage and time were getting better and the end was near. I felt lousy and the pain in my back was excruciatingly terrible at night that I could not sleep for days on end. Once the doctor diagnosed the problem correctly and got me started on the antibiotics, I started feeling better a few days later with being able to sleep for a few hours at a time to start with. The pain in the back is still there and will be for another few days or until I run out of medication, whichever comes first.
I will be back on the trail at the end of the month and will rejoin my friends in Gorham, NH and lead them to the final dance at the "The Big K". Then I will go to where I dropped off and fill in the remaining part that I had not hiked before.
So until then, I will be resting and recouping till I feel better at the end and then pack everything up and go north with everybody else for the final state.
Till later,
Grizz
Sunday, July 6, 2014
HARPER'S FERRY, West Virginia
Hello Everyone,
I am in Harper's Ferry now. I arrived on July 3rd at 11:00am on a clear blue sky day with the temperature at about 87 degrees Fahrenheit.
My first stop was at the ATC Center to get my picture taken, so I had a position/number in the book.
After taking several zero's, tomorrow I will be leaving here an heading up the trail towards The Big "K", Mt. Katahdin, Maine; next stop will be in
Dunncannon, PA at the Doyle Hotel.
My plans for the 4 State Challenge look like they have been dashed and will not happen at this moment.
By the way, I have not heard from many of my friends in New England area as of this moment. Half of the trip is almost over and I would like to hear from you in the coming days.
Please feel free to send letters/packages to the addresses provided on my Mail Drop list. As for the dates, just adjust the dates by 4 weeks and that should put you back on track for the rest of the trek starting with Harper's Ferry.
Got to go and get ready for tomorrow, I will be in touch at the the next stop.
Have a Great Day and a Great Hike,
Grizz
Hello Everyone,
I am in Harper's Ferry now. I arrived on July 3rd at 11:00am on a clear blue sky day with the temperature at about 87 degrees Fahrenheit.
My first stop was at the ATC Center to get my picture taken, so I had a position/number in the book.
After taking several zero's, tomorrow I will be leaving here an heading up the trail towards The Big "K", Mt. Katahdin, Maine; next stop will be in
Dunncannon, PA at the Doyle Hotel.
My plans for the 4 State Challenge look like they have been dashed and will not happen at this moment.
By the way, I have not heard from many of my friends in New England area as of this moment. Half of the trip is almost over and I would like to hear from you in the coming days.
Please feel free to send letters/packages to the addresses provided on my Mail Drop list. As for the dates, just adjust the dates by 4 weeks and that should put you back on track for the rest of the trek starting with Harper's Ferry.
Got to go and get ready for tomorrow, I will be in touch at the the next stop.
Have a Great Day and a Great Hike,
Grizz
Monday, June 23, 2014
Hello Folks,
I am leaving Waynesboro today and will be heading North through the Shenadoah Park starting at about noontime.
Next stop will be Front Royal, VA for a quick in and out and then on to Harper's Ferry, WV for a three day break.
As for items to come home with me, I have a 3ft. long Rattlesnake skin that he shed, found on the Trail one morning. There is about 70% of the skin there, including the head and lower jaw down to the tail where the rattles would be When I get home I will mount the skin and hang it on the wall for a conversation piece. As you might think, I sh_t my pants when I saw it cause I was looking for the owner of this skin nearby to where I was standing.
I have not seen any bears at all, but have seen alot of deer, box turtles and other little animals including a few small snakes along the way.
I've got to go now, talk to you soon,
Have a great day
I am leaving Waynesboro today and will be heading North through the Shenadoah Park starting at about noontime.
Next stop will be Front Royal, VA for a quick in and out and then on to Harper's Ferry, WV for a three day break.
As for items to come home with me, I have a 3ft. long Rattlesnake skin that he shed, found on the Trail one morning. There is about 70% of the skin there, including the head and lower jaw down to the tail where the rattles would be When I get home I will mount the skin and hang it on the wall for a conversation piece. As you might think, I sh_t my pants when I saw it cause I was looking for the owner of this skin nearby to where I was standing.
I have not seen any bears at all, but have seen alot of deer, box turtles and other little animals including a few small snakes along the way.
I've got to go now, talk to you soon,
Have a great day
Monday, June 16, 2014
Just to let everyone know what has happened over the past several weeks. I have had my wallet missing, one really bad string of weather and a sore knee, but other than that everything is going good.
I am closing in on Waynesboro, VA and will be there in about 6 days. Then on to Harper's Ferry, WV and the halfway mark, just a few days after that.
So, if you have NOT sent a card or letter, get busy and mail it today, to either of these towns.
Till later, Got to Hike,
Grizz
I am closing in on Waynesboro, VA and will be there in about 6 days. Then on to Harper's Ferry, WV and the halfway mark, just a few days after that.
So, if you have NOT sent a card or letter, get busy and mail it today, to either of these towns.
Till later, Got to Hike,
Grizz
It has been a while since I last wrote about my hike and the reason for that is that I wanted you to stop laughing and change your pants from wetting them so much; after hearing about my dilemma.
So now, we will move up the Trail a bit and give you something else to laugh about.
As you may know, I enjoy eating more than anything else, except for one thing thing and we won't touch that subject at all. Now back to the eating. This one day Obsidian and I are leaving the shelter and the word on the trail is that there will be some Trail Magic at Deep Gap about 5 miles away. Like the old bear that I am, I can smell food a mile away without any problem. So, off we go and the trail is really nice to hike on for most of it not to many big rocks or roots to make the hike any harder than need be.
As we are hiking we are talking about what kind of "magic" will be down there. Will it be coffee and donuts or will it be more is what we are tossing back and forth all the to the gap. We are now within ear shot and we hear some noise down below us, our steps pick up almost to a run. Now this old bear doesn't want to be the last in line when it comes to food and he is chomping at the bit to see what they are offering. Obsidian is behind me by about 300 ft. and he can't keep up with me as I am going down this hilly trail.
I come to near the end of the trail and there is a sign for all hikers to follow the arrows to the Red Truck/Green Truck for a hiker feed all weekend!!! WOW, Free Food All Weekend!!!!! I'm camping out here and staying here till either they leave or they run out of food.
We ate till we couldn't move and then headed on very slowly till we got to the top of the hill that was over 5,000 ft high.
We enjoyed the food and the company and hope that it happens more as the trail continues north.
Till Later,
So now, we will move up the Trail a bit and give you something else to laugh about.
As you may know, I enjoy eating more than anything else, except for one thing thing and we won't touch that subject at all. Now back to the eating. This one day Obsidian and I are leaving the shelter and the word on the trail is that there will be some Trail Magic at Deep Gap about 5 miles away. Like the old bear that I am, I can smell food a mile away without any problem. So, off we go and the trail is really nice to hike on for most of it not to many big rocks or roots to make the hike any harder than need be.
As we are hiking we are talking about what kind of "magic" will be down there. Will it be coffee and donuts or will it be more is what we are tossing back and forth all the to the gap. We are now within ear shot and we hear some noise down below us, our steps pick up almost to a run. Now this old bear doesn't want to be the last in line when it comes to food and he is chomping at the bit to see what they are offering. Obsidian is behind me by about 300 ft. and he can't keep up with me as I am going down this hilly trail.
I come to near the end of the trail and there is a sign for all hikers to follow the arrows to the Red Truck/Green Truck for a hiker feed all weekend!!! WOW, Free Food All Weekend!!!!! I'm camping out here and staying here till either they leave or they run out of food.
We ate till we couldn't move and then headed on very slowly till we got to the top of the hill that was over 5,000 ft high.
We enjoyed the food and the company and hope that it happens more as the trail continues north.
Till Later,
Monday, May 5, 2014
Hello Folks,
After much talk and deliberation, I have been cleared to start posting on my BLOG because of an incident that happened with one of my sponsors. I will not get into it, I will not comment on it at all, at any time in the future.
Let it be and move on.
As for a quick update on my progress on the trail, there is none; but I will start at the beginning of where it all happened.
I left Ft. Myers, FL after visiting friends, on the Greyhound bus heading to Atlanta, GA and somewhere in between I lost my wallet, for the first time in 40 years. Do you know how much stuff a wallet can hold?? Yes, that includes your ID, Debit Card, Charge Card, Certifications for work and more of those cards that we all hold for those god awful stores that we go to every day to get a nickel off.
First thing I do, is call the Bank and shut the account down. That's fine and Then they tell me that I don't have any money for the next two weeks, until I receive the new Debit Card. This is not good!!!
Then I asked them to mail the card direct and they can't do that, because it is not insured that I will get it where I am. I said, wait a minute, You can't mail me the card direct, but you can mail it to my house, that I'm not at, at all, because I'm a 1,000 miles away???? There is some thing wrong with this picture for sure.
OK, mail it to my home and I will have somebody, who you don't know, pick it up and mail it to me at where I am, 1,000 miles away!!!!
I am now without money and a backpack with four days of food in it, This is not working in my favor at all!!!!
So, I make a call to a friend back home and ask him to mail me some money for two weeks until I get my new card? He says yes. Now he has to mail the money by FED EX so I get it and start the hike, now 5 days later than I had planned. I said that's fine let's do it and let's get moving on it.
I get the money on a Friday morning and that afternoon I was heading to Amicolola Falls State Park after having paid my bill at the hostel that I was staying at and with just over 100 dollars in my pocket, I head off to the woods. I have NO Debit Card, No ID, but I do have a magazine with my picture in it and my name printed next to the picture that I will use for ID, if anybody asks. This is a real fiasco in the making, I can see it now. Ranger asks to see an ID and I tell him I don't have one but I have this picture with my name on it. All I can hear is, GET IN THE CAR YOU ARE GOING TO JAIL. You are not passing go, and you will stay there until we get this straightened out.
Thank God, This did not happen and I am now in Erwin, TN as I am writing this and I do have my NEW Debit Card and still no ID, because that I had to wait for the Debit Card to get here before I could order the ID card, because I had to pay 7 dollars for the new ID card, that could be mailed to anywhere in the world. GO FIGURE.
I did the approach trail on the 21st of March and summited on the 22nd, then turned and headed north right away.
NOW, that all of you people are laughing and wetting your pants about this, I have more for you as time goes on. I will be writing in about a week and letting you know more funny stories that have happened to me on this journey so far.
As for pictures, Small Town America does not have computers that are up to date at ALL!! The first computer I went to use was still running on Windows 95 and could barely run an email, much less a program that uses Google Chrome. So I may have to wait till I get home and post them then, but for now, I will keep you informed with the news from the trail.
TILL LATER,
GRIZZ
After much talk and deliberation, I have been cleared to start posting on my BLOG because of an incident that happened with one of my sponsors. I will not get into it, I will not comment on it at all, at any time in the future.
Let it be and move on.
As for a quick update on my progress on the trail, there is none; but I will start at the beginning of where it all happened.
I left Ft. Myers, FL after visiting friends, on the Greyhound bus heading to Atlanta, GA and somewhere in between I lost my wallet, for the first time in 40 years. Do you know how much stuff a wallet can hold?? Yes, that includes your ID, Debit Card, Charge Card, Certifications for work and more of those cards that we all hold for those god awful stores that we go to every day to get a nickel off.
First thing I do, is call the Bank and shut the account down. That's fine and Then they tell me that I don't have any money for the next two weeks, until I receive the new Debit Card. This is not good!!!
Then I asked them to mail the card direct and they can't do that, because it is not insured that I will get it where I am. I said, wait a minute, You can't mail me the card direct, but you can mail it to my house, that I'm not at, at all, because I'm a 1,000 miles away???? There is some thing wrong with this picture for sure.
OK, mail it to my home and I will have somebody, who you don't know, pick it up and mail it to me at where I am, 1,000 miles away!!!!
I am now without money and a backpack with four days of food in it, This is not working in my favor at all!!!!
So, I make a call to a friend back home and ask him to mail me some money for two weeks until I get my new card? He says yes. Now he has to mail the money by FED EX so I get it and start the hike, now 5 days later than I had planned. I said that's fine let's do it and let's get moving on it.
I get the money on a Friday morning and that afternoon I was heading to Amicolola Falls State Park after having paid my bill at the hostel that I was staying at and with just over 100 dollars in my pocket, I head off to the woods. I have NO Debit Card, No ID, but I do have a magazine with my picture in it and my name printed next to the picture that I will use for ID, if anybody asks. This is a real fiasco in the making, I can see it now. Ranger asks to see an ID and I tell him I don't have one but I have this picture with my name on it. All I can hear is, GET IN THE CAR YOU ARE GOING TO JAIL. You are not passing go, and you will stay there until we get this straightened out.
Thank God, This did not happen and I am now in Erwin, TN as I am writing this and I do have my NEW Debit Card and still no ID, because that I had to wait for the Debit Card to get here before I could order the ID card, because I had to pay 7 dollars for the new ID card, that could be mailed to anywhere in the world. GO FIGURE.
I did the approach trail on the 21st of March and summited on the 22nd, then turned and headed north right away.
NOW, that all of you people are laughing and wetting your pants about this, I have more for you as time goes on. I will be writing in about a week and letting you know more funny stories that have happened to me on this journey so far.
As for pictures, Small Town America does not have computers that are up to date at ALL!! The first computer I went to use was still running on Windows 95 and could barely run an email, much less a program that uses Google Chrome. So I may have to wait till I get home and post them then, but for now, I will keep you informed with the news from the trail.
TILL LATER,
GRIZZ
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