So it’s been three weeks since I had to get off the Trail [temporarily!!] because of the anemia. And we’re still waiting to find out: what the root cause was/is; how soon all my numbers will be back in the “good to go” zone; whether I can get back on the Trail this season; whether I can’t hike again until next season; and so on.

Say what you will about the American medical system, I’m finding that it’s expensive, but slow.

Meanwhile, I feel pretty good. (But, then, I also felt good on the Trail except for the uphills the last few weeks I was out hiking.) Ann says I have more energy than I did 3 weeks ago. I’m getting a lot of good reading done. I’m learning new things, and not all of it about anemia, human physiology, the effects of strenuous exercise on the body, and related topics.

And, finally, that’s not me in the e-card picture above. It only looks like me. I still wear glasses when I’m reading. Guy in the picture doesn’t.

I decided the other day that since I’ve spent decades donating blood, I should see what it’s like to receive some blood. I was near Great Barrington, Massachusetts on 3 August, and there was a hospital nearby, so I figured “What the heck!”

That, and I was pretty severely anemic (hemoglobin level of 6.5) so I really needed the 2 units of blood they transfused into me. Turns out I have “a few superficial ulcers” that were sneaking blood out of my circulatory system without my permission.

Well, no wonder I was having trouble hiking up hills the last couple weeks!

The whole story is more complicated than that, of course, but I give my wife full credit for basically saving my life. If she hadn’t convinced me to get checked out at a hospital, I would likely have kept on keeping on until I collapsed by the side of the Trail someplace.

And so, though the blood bag is no longer suspended over me, the hike has been suspended for the time being. We are home. I will be in my doctor’s office on Monday morning. After we figure out what the recovery trajectory is, we will figure out how and when to continue and finish my hike.

At this point, I’ve hiked roughly 1,522 miles and have about 667 left to walk. Piece of cake!