April 12, 2012

Well, folks, I've run into a bit of a knee problem on the trail and have returned home to sort it out.  For the past week, I've had some issues with my left knee swelling from some of the steep downhills I've encountered on the AT.  It's made my knee pop and crackle a bit and it's starting to feel a little unstable, so I want to be sure that I'm not doing any permanent damage.

I got off the AT at Rock Gap and caught a shuttle into Franklin, NC.  My friend Halfspeed and I spent the night there and then caught a ride to Asheville with another ailing hiker.  From there I rode the Greyhound bus to Raleigh and arrived home at 5 AM this morning.

Tomorrow, I have an appointment with my physician to take a look at the knee and get a professional opinion on what I should consider.  If it's just a bit of discomfort, I can deal with it and will rejoin the trail a bit farther north, then come back and finish the portion I'll have skipped.

If I'm doing real harm to my knees, I'll have to abandon my AT plans.   I don't intend to just sit the summer out, so we'll have to see what develops then.

Jerome = AYATORI