Day 34 Zero in Gorham

Yesterday it became clear that my knee was not ready to continue. The next 100 miles in Maine would be among the most difficult of the whole trail. The legendary Mahoosuc Notch was  a day away. It is the most fun (or the most difficult mile of the AT...basically a one mile scramble over boulders as big as cars).  The first day would start with a nearly 2000 ft climb.  So I decided to take a whole day to rest it and think.

I called Kathy, my sister for her thoughts. She a PH.D. Physical therapist and so I value her input. After describing to her the problem, she said that the continued use (abuse) would probably result more of the same pain and stiffness. 

As I though about the previous two days, I decided that the risk of personal injury because of my left knee was not worth that risk. 

I thought about my last 400 miles. I looked at my trek across the White Mountains ( map above). I summed up my nearly 1900 miles on the trail. I decided to draw a line for the moment, pleased with this section. I've purposely gone rockclimbing or backpacking when I knew I was injured. So risk/benefit analysis done, I'll stop for now. 

It has been a great trip! The geography, the sites, trees, flowers, animals and the people all made it very memorable.  The folks at the White Mountain Hostel were really great!

And the AT will be there when I choose to  finish.  It's right across the road from this great hostel

2016 miles: 392

Total AT Miles : 1892