Thank you to everyone who helped while I was down with my dislocated tailbone. From the well wishes to rides, to a place to crash for a few days. THANK YOU! My tailbone is still sitting in the wrong position, but the swelling is down and it feels better every day. I can almost sit normally, and I’ve been walking without needing ibuprofen for a couple days.

It was a quick decision to head back to the trail when we did. The first two nights after the injury, Clayt and I stayed at a hotel. David and Donna, Clayt’s parents, were meeting us with Hunter Tuesday anyway, so they stuck to their plan of leaving from Maine on Sunday and drove down. They picked us up from Sylva, NC and dropped us off at our friend Matt’s house in eastern North Carolina where we proceeded to bum around for a few days. The next Sunday, one week after I slipped, we took the generosity of our friend and he dropped us off at a hostel just past the Smokies, where we’d continue our hike from. Being in the hiker environment proved to be too tempting, and Monday afternoon The Fat Kids and Hunter walked north on the AT.

My tailbone was still hurting a bit, but hiking didn’t hurt any more than standing around, so I made the decision that we should get back onto the trail. Clayt helped a LOT and carried all the food, so I only had a 20lbs pack. (Thanks, love.)  After 3 days of hiking we were back to our usual mileage and – again – beat our time goal for getting to Hot Springs, NC.

Today, sitting on a rocking chair on a sunny porch drinking a beer, I’m feeling great. Super happy to be back hiking every day, meeting a new group of people, and out in the fresh air. So far we haven’t had another day of rain, but I can guarantee I’ll be pretty careful of where and how I step;there’s no need for another eventful day filled with hyperventilating from shock, an ambulance ride to the ER and a few bedridden days afterward.

To answer a likely question, my tailbone will remain dislocated until we finish the trail. It will be fixed with massage and chiropractics, but there is plenty of time for that this winter.