North Country Trail - Allegheny National Forest hike cut short.

With a mutual feeling of disappointment and accomplishment, I made the wise, yet painful, decision to end my thru-hike after only two days on the trail.  The primary culprit was my left knee, which showed no remorse in delivering an increasing measure of substantial pain.  I yield.

The hike started as planned, with the small exception of the weather.  Cash and I set out on the trail near Willow Bay at 11:30 AM.  Fully packed and prepared with all my gear and provisions, I was ready for anything.  We marched deep into the woods, as the rain grew heavier and more persistent.  After two hours, my boots and my entire pack were soaked.  We walked for 10 miles that day, setting up camp (in the rain) near the Allegheny Reservoir.  I managed to get a small fire going, but it was to no avail, since the rain kept up and there was little wood to be of much use.  My knee had begun to hurt, and it soon was very dark.  Cash and I huddled inside the tent and listened to the rain pour down on top of us.

In the morning, the rain had become less fierce, allowing us a chance to pack up our campsite and hit the trail.  My knee hurt from the onset, but we hiked nonetheless.  There was no cell phone reception, or way to contact anyone if I stayed in one place. Onward we hiked, through a myriad of different terrains and landscapes.  Through dense forests of pine, to fields of cattails , to peaceful forest streams.  The scenery was damp, but no less amazing.  The fall season had tinted the entire forest with hues of ochre, crimson, and gold.  

By the time we made it to Red Bridge, it was 6:00 PM.  My phone had died and, despite the symbolic indicator on the map, there was no payphone.  Fortunately, we found an electrical outlet in the campground and charged the phone for a bit.  No signal yet, but at least some power to last us until we found one.  By this time, I had decided to call it quits.  The pain was too great to bear. Even with my enthusiastic optimism, I couldn't get past the fact that I was nearly unable to walk.

We made it to a location that allowed us the first cell phone reception of the day, and in the nick of time.  I called my Dad, who said he would pick us up in about an hour.  I only had enough battery charge left for one last effort - a text message to my wife to let her know we were safe.  We sat by the bridge on a desolate stretch of Route 321 and waited.  Soon, it was dark.  Darkness turned into blackness and then the cold rain started.  Cold and pain wracked my body while I prayed for respite from my condition.  Then, the headlights appeared.  True to his word, Dad had found us on the side of the highway, shivering in the cold autumn night.  Before long, we were back at the house, sharing hamburgers and laughing about my misadventure.

Overall, I hiked about 30 miles in two days.  Not a bad start.  I learned that even though my gear might be up to the test of 7 days in the woods, my knees were not.  I had overlooked my physical limitations.  Hiking for eight miles once a week is much different than 17 miles everyday.  Furthermore, I never hike with a pack over 10 pounds, and I was ill-prepared for the 45-pound bohemoth that I was attempting to carry.    I vow to not look upon this experiment as a failure, but merely as a lesson in better preparation and planning.   Next time, maybe a shorter trek with fewer nights...and somebody else to help carry the gear.  And robot knees!  

Hike on.