The Agony of Defeat

~ September 1, 1997 ~

Today I made a really big decision. The biggest decision that I've been faced with since I've been hiking. I've been trying to ignore this pain that I've been having the past few weeks, but its not working. I cried the whole way up Killington Mt. today, and it was not a tough mountain. I'm having excrutiating pain with every step I take. I went to a doctor in Rutland and he said that I have Sciatica and there is nothing that I could do about it. He told me I would never reach my destination and sooner or later I would have to make a choice about what is more important, my hike or my back. I just kind of put this in the back of my head and got back on the trail. I figured I'd deal with that when the time came. However, I never thought that I would have to make this decision so soon. This is very hard for me to do, but I have decided to take a couple weeks off. A few days won't help enough, so I'm going to go take a bus to my cousin Kirby's house in Tennessee. Then I'll come back to met up with Sister Smiles. I would definately prefer to take time off but stay close to the trail, but I can't afford to stay anywhere, and there isn't any work around here.

Two Days on a Greyhound Bus

The bus ride took 2 days to get to Knoxville. I had a 6 hour layover in Richmond from 2 A.M. to 8 A.M. Met some very interesting people, to say the least. Why is it that bus stations are always in the worst part of town? It really doesn't make that town seem desirable to people just passing through.

Well, time just keeps slipping by and all I want to do is hike. Kirby and her roommates are great, but the boredom is killing me. Its hard going from hiking all day, every day, to not being allowed to do anything. You go through a lot of changes mentally and I'm having somewhat of a hard time dealing with it. I've spent my time making peyote stitches and watching T.V. Brook's, (Kirby's boyfriend) band, Space Monkey, played in downtown Knoxville one night and it was a really good show. I was definately impressed! I also got a chance to do some thrifting, I found some cool stuff.

~ September 18, 1997 ~

The next part of my journey led me once again to a bus station in the middle of the night. I somehow ended up in Miami, but I'm not quite sure how. I guess it had something to do with all of my family and friends being there. A lot of things go through your mind as you're on your way home after a long unfinished journey. Mainly, when am I going to get back to finish my adventure, and am I doing the right the thing? This was very hard for me to do but I figure it's necessary to let my back rest in order to finish up the rest of my hike.