[at-l] Helping a newbie - anybody near the Blueberry Patch?

[spiriteagle99@xxxxxxxxxxx (Jim and/or Ginny Owen)]

Shane wrote:
>Bob just called me from the
>vicinity of Neels Gap, having just come off Blood Mountain.  (I wish I had
>paid better attention to the maps, I'm not exactly sure where this is...)

About 30 miles from Springer.

>Bob is having major problems, mostly related to gear.

Nearly all God's chilluns has gear problems at that point.  Neels Gap is (or
at least was) wonderful that way.


>His socks are too rough, and his boots are too stiff.

Turn the socks inside out so the smooth side is inside. Trade in the leather
boots for something lightweight like Lowa Renegade (doesn't need break-in
time).


>(Didn't want sandals...alas...)  Really, none of this is a big deal and is
>fixable now that he's open to suggestions.

Yep.


>The other problem is that his leg has gone numb, and that's causing him
>some problems.  My remote diagnosis is sciatica, but it could also be from
>his pack.

Been there - and so have some of my friends.  If his pack is too small, then
it's probably pressing on the nerves in his back.  A properly fitted and
adjusted pack will help - if he hasn't actually damaged something serious.
BUT - also check out the circulation in his legs.  One friend has had to
have stents put into the arteries in his legs.  He had the same symptoms.


>In any case, we've decided to bring him home for two weeks to adjust his
>gear, heal him up, and have him checked.

Cool - he's got plenty of time. Just don't make it too long or he might not
get started again.  I refused to get off the Trail at Pearisburg, VA for a
nephew's wedding because of that particular danger.

>He is very down and disappointed about this, despite this being part of the
>plan if he had a rough go at the start - to regroup, reassess, and get back
>on the trail.  He hasn't done anything like this before, and doesn't
>realize that this is sometimes part of the way life goes...

More often than not.

>He's going to be picked up and brought to the Blueberry Patch Hostel
>tonight, and he'll be there tomorrow and probably the next day before
>flying home.  If anyone is in the vicinity and could pay him a visit and
>reach out to him to lift his morale, I'm sure he would >appreciate it.
>He's pretty down and could use an angel right about now...

Good idea - but he needs to get a lot closer before I can get to him.  And
he REALLY doesn't want to be this far north right now anyway.

Walk softly,
Jim

_________________________________________________________________
The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE*
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail