An End
One year ago today we started hiking the PCT, which I'm going to use as a convenient excuse to close out the 'PCT' chapter in our life and start posting about the new one. If I had been smart, I would have continued to write about our adventures after the trail. I mainly stopped writing because I didn't realize there would be an interest, but I should have kept it up if only for ourselves. Besides, writing is incredibly therapeutic.
Physically, Nick and I were complete opposites after the trail. After only one week of down time, Nick went out and ran over 13 miles without any issue whatsoever. He was elated. I, on the other hand, could barely walk. I made a valiant attempt to run when he did but was in so much pain (mostly in my feet and ankles) that I stopped after only 0.25 miles. It was like a cruel joke - I was supposed to be the runner, not Nick. After giving up running for over 5 months and hiking 2,688 miles, I assumed I would be rewarded for my sacrifice by being able to run just as far, if not further, than before. I didn't expect the speed to be there but I DID expect Running and I to embrace each other with open arms. Instead, it felt as if my body was going to fall apart with every step. Walking/limping back to the Airbnb on Vancouver Island after that first failed reunion with Running was miserable. I cried (of course I did). Worse, I was consumed with jealousy that Nick was able to do what I could not.
Nick and I both gained weight after the trail - he because he needed to, me because I was still eating like I was on-trail and completely unable to do anything physical. For a few weeks I let it go, telling myself that my body needed extra fuel to repair, but I was unable to reign it in. My hormones were completely out of whack and I felt (and still feel!) like an utter mess. By November, when Running and I tentatively shook hands and decided to give our relationship another try, I had gained over 25 lbs. Understandable, perhaps, but no less frustrating.
My feet improved slowly but surely. By December, only two of the toes on my right foot were still numb (a huge improvement as almost all of my toes had been numb when we finished the trail). It took until the end of January to regain feeling in ALL of my toes. Now, the only lingering trail issue is a small pain on the top of my foot when I roll my ankle from side to side; since this pain is minor, doesn't affect my daily activities, and continues to improve, I don't worry about it.
Interestingly enough, my running form is COMPLETELY different than it was before the trail. Before the trail I was a heal-striker and now I have a midfoot strike. I can't decide if that's a good or bad thing because I'm still painfully slow. It feels as if I'm completely starting over, which I suppose I am (I've been doing lots of run/walk intervals to make the transition easier on my joints).
But at least I can run again. (Well, I WAS running again. I'm currently battling an unfortunate relapse of plantar fasciitis, most likely brought on by hill workouts and too much running on concrete sidewalks.)
The months following the trail were a fun and chaotic. After touring Vancouver and Vancouver Island (we went whale watching while on Vancouver Island and followed a pod of killer whales as they taught their young to kill by using a poor seal as a teaching tool - it was an amazing yet horrific experience), Nick and I visited family in Ferndale, Washington before flying back to Dallas. In Dallas, we spent time with family, reclaimed our car from our resupply guru, and began the longest road trip of my life.
A quick summary of where we traveled on our road trip and who we were able to visit is as follows (I kick myself for not taking more pictures and for not writing much during this time):
October
St. Louis, MO: work friends, Marlene Baker, my sister Heather (Charlie's caretaker), Theresa (faithful blog manager), our niece Maddie
November
LaSalle, IL: family and friends (to include Nick and Candee). We watched the Chicago Cubs win the World Series!!! GO CUBS!!!
Davenport, IA: Melanie and Bill Johnstone (no pics) :(
Bettendorf, IA: Corey and Marci Mecagni (no pics) :(
Dallas, TX: Mark and Mary (Nick's parents), Nate, Bess, Ben, and Charlie
San Antonio, TX: We 'lived' in a hotel room on Fort Sam for a few weeks while Nick took a class for the Army. The soft, 1 mile long track on base was where I was finally able to run again.
December
Galveston, TX: Gina and George Welsh and their delightful twin boys, Lane and Landon
Shreveport, LA: my childhood neighbor and lifelong friend, Janelle Cromwell Landingham, and her family (why oh why didn't I take pictures?!?)
Hot Springs, AK: being tourists
St. Louis, MO: our sisters, niece Maddie, and beloved cat Charlie (he still remembers and loves me!).
LaSalle, IL: Christmas and New Years with friends and family
January
Athens, OH: Sean and Jen Parsons and their lovely twins, Emily and Coltrane
Us with Sean Parsons (photo credit Jen Parsons) - we all got a kick out of NIck's expression
Columbus, OH: James Knight, a friend from grade school, and his wonderful family (again, why didn't I take pictures?)
St. Louis, MO: We spent a lot of time at the storage unit purging even more stuff AND got to see our sisters again. I even had the opportunity to see my good friend from the American Red Cross, Dawn Roth.
My most beloved running shoes, one pair for each marathon I've run. Knowing it is silly to keep things like this when you are trying to get rid of STUFF, I tearfully donated them to the Shoeman (shoemanwater.org)
LaSalle/Dallas: I spent over a month with my parents while Nick spent that time with his parents in Whitewright, TX. Nick came back to get me and we spent our last night in Illinois with amazing friends (Nick and Candee Lawrence, Katie Lawrence, and Matt and Ryan Keutzer). I drank too many imperial stouts at Uptown (a favorite local restaurant) but had a fantastic time.
St. Louis, MO: a final visit with Theresa and our niece Maddie, Heather and my cat Charlie, our trail friend Bamboo, and Jill Chesnut, my dear friend and walking buddy from work
Kansas City, KS: a special visit with our special trail friend, Special K (Kevin)
With Special K in Kansas City
Dallas, TX: a final visit with Nick's parents, brother and sister-in-law Nate and Bess, and our beloved niece and nephew Ben and Charlie
Guadalupe National Park: we hiked to the highest peak in TX!
February
Carlsbad Caverns, NM: simply amazing - pictures don't do the formations justice
El Paso, TX: Bess's parents Bev and Rick put us up for the night; Bess's sister and brother in law, Amy and Patty, met us for a fabulous Mexican dinner (yep. Again, I failed on the picture front).
Saguaro National Park, AZ: completed a two day, 27 mile hike (Note to self: maybe don't hike in shorts when surrounded by cacti)
Phoenix, AZ: Beth Revel (Army and War Room friend of Nick), and her son, Xander (no pictures!) :(
Joshua Tree National Park, CA: Beautiful park but we saw more impressive Joshua trees on the trail
California City, CA: Jeff Kowtko, one of my college roommates and good friend. He works for Virgin Galactic and arranged for us to watch them hotfire one of the rocket engines, which was AWESOME!
We were graced with a beautiful rainbow on our way to Virgin Galactic to see Jeff (I wasn't allowed to take pictures while a guest at Virgin)
Lancaster, CA: our dear trail friend Ducky (Megan) and her boyfriend, Rob (Gah! Why didn't I take pictures?!?!?)
On the way to see Ducky, we drove by HIkertown and had to stop for a quick picture. Ahh, the memories.
San Simeon and Cayucos, CA: being tourists
Driving to this overlook (as opposed to hiking here) felt like cheating.
Visalia, CA: Mark and Sarah Bogner (Sarah is a longtime family friend of Nick's) and their three delightful girls. Bonus: They used to live in Hawaii and so had lots of helpful tips for us. :) (no pics) :(
San Diego, CA: catching our flight to Hawaii
A New Beginning
So what's next for us? (As if everyone isn't aware by now.)
After a bit of a debate, we decided to give Maui a try. We've been trying to escape the cold midwest winters for YEARS, we fell in love with Hawaii when we vacationed here 4 years ago, and we figured now is as good a time as any to throw all caution to the wind. Nick has 12 months worth of GI bill money coming to him for his time in Afghanistan; Maui seemed like the perfect place to use it. Since 12 months worth of GI bill isn't enough to get a masters or PhD, Nick decided to enroll in a SCUBA instructor course. The only plan I had before coming to the island was to figure out a plan (i.e. I came to Maui without a clear direction, which put me way outside my comfort zone).
[Has it really been a year since we started hiking the PCT? Unreal!!]