Extremely happy to report I’m headed back out on the trail! And… I have a trail name!
My shin splint hasn’t hurt since Friday and so I think I’m all set to get back out there.
7 days of forced rest really goes against the grain for me so I’m looking forward to doing something other than sitting in my hotel room with my leg up!!! Although strangely I kept pretty busy courtesy of the digital world.
Probably the most notable thing that happened to me during this forced time-off is that I was given a trail name. As I mentioned last post, no one out here goes by their real name, you are given a name by other hikers. Until now I have been ‘just Kate’. So, a few days ago I was hanging out with Fozzie, Hojo and Apache watching the sunset and chatting. Conversation turned to my shin splint and I was explaining what i’d done to self-treat on the trail before deciding to walk out to a road and hitch into Lordsburg. People mis-hear me all the time because of my accent and this is exactly what was about to happen to me to cause my trail name to be given…
Here’s what I said: “… and then I did a lot of stretching and slept with it elevated, but none of that did the trick”.
Here’s what they thought I said “… and then I did a lot of stretching and slept with Elevated, but none of that did the trick”.
Fozzie jumped right in there, “who’s Elevated, i haven’t met him yet”. I was like “Huh?”. Apache and Hojo joined in about who this fellow Elevated was and how that’s a unique way to treat a shin splint. I was like “Nooo!!! That’s not what i said!”. It was pretty funny. Then Fozzie turns to me and says “you just got your trail name, Elevated”.
Farewell Lordsburg. Thank you to: the kind staff at Econo Lodge and Kranberrys Restaurant for taking good care of me; Peru and Radar for shuttling me around town; and all the hikers who kept me fed and entertained. It would have been a very frustrating and boring week without these wonderful people!
Embrace The Brutality
– Elevated