the Roam

For the last 9 days I have been resting in Jefferson City, Missouri at my parents’ house.

I visited a podiatrist on my second day off the road and received the verdict on my ankle. Luckily I have no stress fractures, but I do have tendonitis in my left ankle and judging by the feel of it my right may be close to the same fate. The only treatment for tendinitis is rest, anti-inflammatory medications, and ice. I certainly haven’t been walking much, I’ve tried to remember to take my medicine and I ice my ankle when it is convenient.

Just being off the road though makes the journey so far seem like a dream I had a lifetime ago.

I must go back though and join the route where I left it in St. Louis at the start of next week. St. Louis to Jefferson City, a 4-5 day walk, will serve as a testing ground for my ankles and final sentence for the continuation of the journey. I crossed the last quarter of Indiana and all of Illinois on a swollen and at times excruciatingly painful leg that forced me to stop, scream obscenities and rest against guard rails or simply lay in the grass at the side of the highway.

While I made it a long way putting up with that pain, if it resurfaces in the 125 miles between St. Louis and Jefferson City I may have to call a premature end to The Roam as the 2000 miles ahead shouldn’t be undertaken has a hobbled man as much as I stubbornly insist I’m perfectly capable of the task.

I’ve had a long time to think about the end since the pain started and I realized the possible outcomes and more so since the podiatrist told me the injury could take six weeks to heal. Six weeks that would push me far beyond the boundaries of the time I have available for this walk. I do have a life to restart with work and a new apartment to find for January in New York so the trip can’t last forever. I also can’t help but miss my adopted city home and all the things I’ve learned to live without.

When I first started this trip any obstacle was something curse, complain about, and begrudgingly handle. From unexpected terrain to miles and miles of detours I could bitch loudly about it all, but I dealt with it. So why bitch? If problems can be managed then just manage them and save yourself from fussing over it. I’ll find a way to manage whatever happens in the next week and what it means for me.

Until I find out if my ankle can handle moving west beyond Missouri I’ll continue to enjoy time with my parents and Caitlin.