R knee meniscus tear

Went to Dr McAllister on Wednesday and he's pretty sure there's a tear. They did X-rays and scheduled an MRI for Aug 2. But as the swelling has continued to decrease things have gotten much better. Maybe I should just do some strengthening exercises? Here's an article I think is relevant:  https://www.howardluksmd.com/knee/running-meniscus-tear/

NCT / FLT Weekend

Lots of hiking this weekend. Used a daypack on Saturday and drank all 3L of water. My Pesto Chicken & Pesto MRE was actually good. The cherry cobbler was okay. I started at the Sugar Hill Fire Tower and made it just past Julie's Crossing down near the Watkins Glen State Park.

First I went from Sugar Hill towards Watkins Glen...


Then I stopped for a break and had a Chicken Pesto Pasta MRE. Also had the cherry cobbler. The oatmeal cookie & breadsticks were gross, though.

In the morning I finished the rest of the trail from Sugar Hill to FLT map M14 access point #1. The scrambled eggs tasted okay, but man, they sure didn't come out well.


Finally I walked around some of the gorge and found the point where the FLT intersects with route 329.


My R knee was swollen before I started and this didn't help it much. On the brighter side, I made it. I wore a knee brace and it wasn't that hard but there were a few times when I had to take it really easy. The trail was well marked - didn't really need the map but it was great for swatting bugs away from my ears.  The hardest part was Julie's Crossing as the trail was obscured. On the way back I actually went in circles once before finding it. There were also some parts east of Vanzandt Hollow Road that needed to be adjusted where it fell off the cliff due to erosion.

At night I had a nice set up with a hammock and a rain fly. It was good at first, but then it got wicked windy and rainy - I had to get up a few times to resecure the stakes and tighten the string. I tossed and turned a bit, but was still more comfortable than in a tent. I wasn't sleeping that well, but I was resting okay starting at 9pm.

Then a group of people came in around 10 and decided to start setting up camp. They didn't shut up until 4am. Eventually I even got some water in my hammock somehow and ended up going into the car at 5am. I then slept until 9:30.

So as of the weekend (20.61 miles) I now have 23.29 miles towards the challenge - almost halfway towards the 50, so now I think I can seriously look towards the 100 challenge.

Garmin Connect - Sworkit

Week 1,3 - Strength Basics. Pretty easy exercises, but the kids need to work on their form so these are all good steps.

Weekend vacation ideas

• Alex Bay: Wellesley Island State Park
• ADK Cabins

STASL match - R knee swollen now

Thought I ran my butt off and did well, but Bill still found things for me to work on. Can't say I agree with his specifics, but generally he was right. He actually mentioned something I was asking the crew about during halftime. I didn't mean to get assessed, but Mike had to get it done so he got me & Steve. Good game but not many calls for anyone. Definitely got gassed at the end. Everyone did. It was hot.

My ankles were sore during the game but post-game & next day my R knee feels swollen. Planning a hiking trip starting tomorrow so hopefully it settles down.

L arm itching returns

This hasn't happened in forever, but the last few days my L forearm has returned to itching without cause. It's unbearable. I ice it and that helps but nothing solves it. Could it be due to letting meat back into my diet? The timing fits but that's about it.

Garmin Connect - Sworkit

Week 1, workout 2. I let the boys sleep until 7:45 but then we got moving. Neither of them had great energy but they powered through. These workouts are super easy though so maybe they aren't being challenged enough.

Garmin Connect - Sworkit

Week 1, workout 1. 20 minutes of stretching w/ the boys at the YMCA.
Garmin Connect

Garmin Connect - Sworkit

Sworkit w/ the boys at home. Lots of practice being quick on the toes & feet.
Garmin Connect

Hiking Robert Treman State Park

Able to grab nearly 3 miles with the boys. Nice park & hike - need to return to get some more distance.
Garmin Connect

BSA Brian 7/8 - 7/13

Brian: Sleep system was great: Outdoor Research Bug bivy, Sea-to-Summit Comfort Light SI pad (2"), Kelty Bestie blanket, and Cocoon Travel pillow. Even worked well overnight at Hilltop. Didn't use a sleeping bag once.

Brett: Used my Sea-to-Summit 4" pad atop the cot mattress. I didn't sleep great, no surprise, but it wasn't that bad. The Walmart camping blanket left something to be desired, but I survived. Mosquito netting was fine, but the bugs weren't too bad this year. Hanging the netting - bring a rope and clothes pins - the only horizontal tent pole is at the apex and goes front-to-back. I saw one rig where a rope was tied round each end and loose so the netting would fit down to the cot.

BRING JACKET & HAT FOR COOL NIGHTS & COLD MORNINGS
It got very cold overnight and fortunately I had extra winter hats in the car. The only jacket I had was my EMS lined wind-breaker. It must be 20 years old.

WATERPROOF the shoes if they don't bring 2 pairs of shoes because of the morning dew. Brian wore wool socks so this wasn't much of a problem, but it could have been. He didn't wear his hiking boots at all.

DAYPACK is crucial to avoid trips back-and-forth to camp and avoid losing items. If you wear your jacket in the morning because of the cold, what do you do with it when it gets too hot by 10? Brian left his water bottle at stations constantly until he started using his backpack as his daypack. Nice to put hats, jackets, water in. Also will be good for Brennan & his wet swimming clothes.

See BSA blog for other notes.