Dave

21 January
Hi I'm Dave. I'm 42 now and will turn 43 around the middle of the hike.

First of all, I have no doubt that I can make the hike physically, but it got me thinking about how many of you don't know what might be holding me back. Sure I'm physically fit, but did you know I'll be doing this hike with a major herniated disc in my neck C-6/7? C-3 through C-5 are minor herniations. It was a service connected injury in the Army 16 years ago that makes a muscle constantly spasm in my back, I have felt it every day since. I also had a Bakers Cyst develop on my right hamstring a year later, from climbing the Haiku Trail in Hawaii, also known as the Stairway to Heaven.

Lastly, because there should be a quick end to someone talking about their medical issues, I had surgery on my right lower leg when I was 13 to remove a hematoma, and the swelling never quite finished going down. A remedy for that is not tying my right shoe as tight as my left and I'll hike everyday until we're finished in Maine, with as short of list of ailments as possible.