Photo: Alex Ford, Flickr Creative CommonsI'll be spending the next week in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park doing trail maintenance on the Appalachian Trail, so I won't post a thing here for more than a week. I'm pretty pumped even if the fact that this is something a little different than normal made me purchase some clothing that I normally wouldn't use backpacking. I hate spending money on clothes, but I will survive. Besides, if I break a tooth this time it will be paid for by the federal government as part of the Volunteers in the Parks program.
The weird thing is that the next eight or nine days will be the longest I've spent away from my wife since college almost nine years ago and it will be the longest I've spent away from my son since he was born. I know myself and my family well enough to know that I'll be the least affected of the group. Little Gandhi was crying before I even left. I took after my mom enough to be able to plow through the separation anxiety without even realizing that I'm experiencing it until it's time to see my two favorite people again. I just hope I don't die from bear or poison ivy attack before then. My last battle with the urushiol left me in the hospital even if my last encounter with a bear was more humorous than scary.
Oh, and as for the broken tooth, I had a root canal. No big deal. The drills were quieter than an electric toothbrush and apparently the numbing agent they used worked extremely well for me. I didn't feel a thing. My tooth is still about half missing, but it's not even the slightest bit sensitive anymore. I'll visit my normal dentist in about a week and a half and get a permanent cap and things will be back to normal.
The weird thing is that the next eight or nine days will be the longest I've spent away from my wife since college almost nine years ago and it will be the longest I've spent away from my son since he was born. I know myself and my family well enough to know that I'll be the least affected of the group. Little Gandhi was crying before I even left. I took after my mom enough to be able to plow through the separation anxiety without even realizing that I'm experiencing it until it's time to see my two favorite people again. I just hope I don't die from bear or poison ivy attack before then. My last battle with the urushiol left me in the hospital even if my last encounter with a bear was more humorous than scary.
Oh, and as for the broken tooth, I had a root canal. No big deal. The drills were quieter than an electric toothbrush and apparently the numbing agent they used worked extremely well for me. I didn't feel a thing. My tooth is still about half missing, but it's not even the slightest bit sensitive anymore. I'll visit my normal dentist in about a week and a half and get a permanent cap and things will be back to normal.
1 comment:
I'm highly allergic to poison ivy so I understand your fears. I've also become pretty good at spotting it over the years. I imagine you'll be wearing gloves and long sleeved shirts, so that might help. Good luck!
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