Why the hell am I doing this?

Since this is my first post, let’s start from the beginning. I am very excited to begin my journey hiking the Appalachian Trail. Saying that out loud to my family and friends has raised a lot of doubts and stupid questions. Personal safety questions like “Are you carrying a gun?”, wildlife questions “Aren’t you worried about bears?” and the ridiculous “How long is it going to take?” I’ve tried to answer all of these questions as best I can, keeping in mind the reason I’m doing all this in the first place.

Why am I doing this?

I read somewhere that one of the main reasons hikers abandoned the AT (aside from a nasty norovirus or Lyme disease) was lack of motivation. That said, looking at this computer screen, I contemplate precisely that. Why am I doing this? Why would a sane person leave the comforts of their home? A warm and cozy bed, fresh food ready, wi-fi, hot and cold running water. One wonders why, in all likelihood, a hiker will encounter numerous blisters, long exhausting days, a completely different diet, and nights sleeping on the cold ground. Why would anyone put themselves through all that?

Six years ago, at the ripe old age of 45, I realized that my best years (physically) were behind me. Growing up, he played sports, lifted weights, and surfed and snowboarded outdoors. In my prime, I spent 8 years in the military, where physical conditioning was a requirement. Push-ups, sit-ups, running, height and weight requirements, physical fitness tests… all of that was necessary to keep up with my Commando. On the verge of suffering a midlife crisis, he wanted to get in better shape and be able to take on a bigger challenge: the Appalachian Trail.

Getting in shape requires me to address an annoying and painful situation: my right shoulder. For whatever reason, poor form in the gym, sports injury, construction work, or just plain abuse, I had a serious problem dealing with my shoulder when using my right arm above my head (with or without weight). Needless to say, I felt in good shape, but with the shoulder of a 100-year-old man! Something had to be done.

After consulting with one of the area’s top doctors, it was determined that he had a torn (but inoperable) rotator cuff as well as a severe case of osteoarthritis. The only hope for relief would be a total shoulder replacement. Being a fairly young man and in fairly good shape, the recovery time would be six months. Prognosis, very good.

3 shoulder replacements later…

Yes, you read that correctly. Over the course of 5 years, I had 4 major surgeries, including 3 total replacements…on the same shoulder! Let me break this down for you, in a nutshell. The first replacement did not go well and was extremely painful. I honestly felt like I was in the worst shape ever, I could barely lift my arm. A second operation was to remove the scar tissue that was potentially holding me back, but that was also unsuccessful. Having changed hospitals and doctors, a new (anatomically inverted) shoulder would be needed. Everything went well, but a year later it was determined that he had broken all the hardware during physical therapy. Unfortunately, after this operation I also developed a bacterial infection. Six weeks of intravenous antibiotics. A fourth surgery would remove all the broken hardware and again, another total shoulder replacement, followed by 6 more weeks of IV antibiotics. Knock on wood, I’m a year post-op and doing well (for the most part). I have my bad days, but at this point I’m happy just to be able to raise my arm again without crying. It was that bad, but now I’m extremely grateful.

Excited, but nervous.

So why… because I can! The human body is capable of extraordinary things; I want to get tested. I’m in a very good place in my life right now. I have a beautiful and loving wife, two happy and healthy children (ages 15 and 17), two crazy dogs, a roof over my head and food on the table. I am grateful and blessed!

At the same time, as the clock counts down, I get nervous. I’m as prepared as I can be right now, but there are still many variables and obstacles to overcome. I’m teaming up with a buddy, trail name = Mr. My hope is to complete the AT by the end of August. Wish me luck!

Thanks for reading.

peace

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