to see the SI story.
| To illustrate some of the main medical issues facing a "thru-hiker", I have included the following two paragraphs in quotations, from the 7/23/2001 issue of Sports Illustrated. The author is Chris Ballard, who wrote his story when Brian was a little more than half way to his goal. | ||
"On a crisp summer afternoon near Crater Lake in Oregon, Brian Robinson steps off the Pacific Crest Trail, the 2,655-mile footpath that runs from Mexico to Canada, slides out of his backpack and gingerly removes the running shoe from his left foot. Grimacing slightly, he runs his finger over the back of his heel, where a deep, inch long fissure has opened inside a callus. Sitting cross-legged, he wipes the crevice clean, and as if sewing a patch onto the worn-through knees of a pair of blue jeans, squeezes it together and covers it with a square of gray duct tape. Satisfied with his handiwork, he pulls his shoe back on, shoulders his pack and heads off into the Oregon wilderness. The pit stop takes only five minutes, which is crucial considering that Robinson hopes to cover another 14 miles before dark. That will make 35 miles for the day, and 4,058 for the year -- which means he has about 3,365 to go to make history". |
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How could that inch-long crack in his thickly calloused heel recover while he continued to aggravate it in his sweaty boots, while averaging 25 miles each and every day? He risked infection and other musculoskeletal problems while favoring it. In addition, there were many other dangers, such as sprains ,fractures, and all sorts of accidents. Bear attacks. Insect and tick bites and the threat of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or Lyme Disease. Dehydration,hypothermia in the cold or hyperthermia in the heat.Giardia or other intestinal parasites and the attendant GI disorders, especially diarrhea. The list could go on and on. |
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| This diet is far from ideal, but he is in a survival mode and he probably balances out many of his nutritional requirements when he eats at his resupply stations. To substantiate that, he uses his steady weight of 150 lbs as his benchmark. No doubt after the hike is over, he will give more details about the composition of his diet and it could more accurately be assessed as to the protein/carbohydrate/fat/mineral/vitamin make-up. I suspect that his intake of antioxidants is inadequate to balance out his free radical damage. His calcium/ mineral intake could also be insufficient, but this is only speculation. These observations are not intended to minimize this amazing tale of endurance; I am in awe of this superhuman achievement! | ||
| When his goal has been met, it will take some time to come down off his emotional high, and his body will welcome a reparative rest period | ||
| As I write these words, Brian's story is evolving. His journey has been kept current by his father, Roy, with the Web site http://royrobinson.homestead.com/ I encourage the reader to read Brian's log pages of the journey in his own words. |
| © 2001, Fred Walsh
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