Try again! You have to try!! I’m on the verge of stepping off in new shoes, new socks, and a new knee brace to resume my walking adventure. When I got off trail and went home, I visited a sports medicine doctor who spent plenty time moving and twisting my knee and was able to conclude that while I have a small tear on my acl, it’s not a show stopper. He suggested I rest and let the pain subside and get back out there. Because now is as good a time as any to go.
How could I possibly disagree? It was the best case scenario as far as I was concerned. So I spent a couple weeks in Grand Junction fattening up and resting. As of today my pain is pretty minimal and I’m feeling as ready as I ever have since my injury. After very little debate I chose to calculate where my trail family would be when I was ready and meet them there instead of hiking the miles I missed. I mean let’s face it who in the hell wants to walk snow? Honestly though, for me, it’s about my trail family. I don’t want to walk alone. These people have proven time and again that they are worth they’re worth their weight in gold, silver and any other bullshit materialistic thing. I cannot pass up the chance to spend more time with them. They have been walking 30+ miles a day for the last few weeks and have built up their strength and endurance while I’ve been sitting on my butt. So I’m genuinely intimidated but to nobody’s surprise they say they’ll wait. And help me get my legs back. And make sure I am safe. From the bears and the slippery rocks. If that isn’t true friendship I couldn’t begin to tell you what is.
So here I go. One foot in front of the other. Let’s see what happens.
Jackie hikes the PCT 