Past Hikes Part 2

On September 13, 2008 JL and I hiked with the GATC from Woody Gap to Neels Gap on the Appalachian Trail. It was a little over 11 miles, and it felt like we were going mostly downhill after a steep uphill climb to the tallest point on the AT in Georgia, the top of Blood Mountain. This hike took FOREVER as we had a very slow guy holding us up. Near the end of the hike, the group stopped again at Preacher's Rock and waited for the guy for over an hour! JL and I used the opportunity for some funny pictures and then laid down for a little nap while we waited...

Balancing Rock at the start of our hike

At the highest point on AT in Georgia

At Preacher's Rock

JL and I before napping

I seriously hurt my right knee on this hike, but had to play tennis the next day for my ALTA team. After a 3-set match where we lost horribly to a couple of women who shouldn't have been wearing skirts, I could barely walk. (I am still bitter over this match.) I iced my knee, tried to stay off of it (difficult when my classroom is 3 flights of stairs away from the copy machine) and stopped playing sports. In October I finally got an appointment with my PCP so that he could refer me to an Orthopedist (I despise HMOs). The Orthopedist said that I had an overuse injury and he prescribed some anti-inflammatory drugs, a knee brace, and PT. A few days later I could walk Fred again, a couple weeks later I was back to normal. Now I have no excuse for not running!

On November 23, 2008 I did another hike with the GATC . The Flat Creek Loop trail was just under 6 miles long, but it was my first "test-hike" with my knee and I was nervous. Plus, I still don't have hiking boots and it was slippery as hell. When we started the hike it was 32 degrees outside, and I was COLD! I wore lots of layers, but these became cumbersome as the day went on. Also, it was a pain in the ass to take off clothes only to have to put them back on when we hiked into a cold area. Anyway, I didn't take many pics because my camera stayed in my bag most of the time. I do have a group shot courtesy of Norm Melton, one of the guys in the group. You can get an idea of how old most of the members are from this photo!