Patience

If anything, my thumb injury and surgery has taught me patience.  Up until this, I really didn't let too many things slow me down.  Not having an opposable thumb on my dominant right hand has slowed me some.  Lots of routine tasks like buttoning a shirt, shaving, opening anything with a lid are done more deliberately and slowly with my left hand.  I must admit I have become a little more adept with my left hand.

Hiking with the Carolina Mountain Club or the Margaret Stevenson Wednesday Hikers each week has been a weekly event for several years for me.  I have not been on a trail since December 3, but I have walked on the the greenway and at the Y some.  While I have tried to patiently wait for healing, I am restless to get on the trail.  I have missed several hikes in the Smokies and ones closer to home.  I have decided to get away this Wednesday for a short hike in the Pisgah District, the 4 mile Daniel Ridge Loop.  It is a benign trail that offers good scenery, a stream with several cascades (and no crossings), and a good waterfall at the end of the hike.  I'll take it slow and easy, and I plan not to fall!

While I have been sidelined two projects have also been on hold; at least my active participation in them has been.

First, my Smokies 900 challenge has been stuck on 326.5 miles for 2 months.  Along with that, I have not been able to add trail miles for Rotary International's End Polio Now campaign.  Soon I will be rejoining my friends in the Smokies and getting back on the trail to add new miles for my Smokies Trail Map and to raise money for End Polio Now.

Second, I have not been able to hike trails for the 100 Favorite Hikes project with the Carolina Mountain Club (CMC).  In the late 70s, the CMC in association with the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club produced a map of "100 Favorite Trails" in Western North Carolina.  The map and descriptions are being revised and updated for publication at the end of the year.  Several CMC members are hiking these favorite trails and writing descriptions and getting new GPS tracks for each one.  I have several trails I will be doing as soon as I can.  Meanwhile, other CMC members are stepping up to hike the trails and provide descriptions.

One can use down time to dream of new adventures, and I have been doing some dreaming.  In fact, I have already turned a few of the dreams into concrete plans.

In March, I will be spending some time in Arizona visiting my sister in Tucson, hiking a couple days at the Grand Canyon, and visiting Prescott to scout a project for our college students in May.

I hope to do a little backpacking in the Smokies in June along a section of the Appalachian Trail through the national park.  Following that, I hope to be in Peru hiking the Inca Trail and visiting Machu Picchu with a group from National Geographic Adventures.

September will have two national park trips.  One close to home - an overnight at Mt. LeConte Lodge  with the hike in and the hike out on two different trails.  The other is a week visiting Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park and Pinnacles National Park in California.

Hopefully I will make good progress with regaining the full use of my thumb.  It has been more of a nuisance than anything.  I have a lot to be thankful for.  I hope to see some of you on a trail some time.