Samwise Hikes the Appalachian Trail! - Trail Journal -
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July 13, Port Clinton, PA

Actually tonight we're in Reading, PA at an Econo Lodge which looks & feels like the Ritz Carlton compared to the last couple hotels I've stayed in. I'd forgotten what it's like to have my own bathroom & a telephone in my room! We were even able to eat our supper at the small table in the corner. We picked up both supper & tomorrow's breakfast at the nearby grocery store, since Tony has to leave at the crack of dawn tomorrow. This way, we can eat quickly & go to bed early, which will be required if we're going to be up at 4:30!

It's been such a lovely zero day, with my hubby keeping me company & driving me all over Pennsylvania on errands. One of my main goals today as to visit the health clinic & see if I really do have asthma, & get some medicine for it. So I started with the clinic in Hamburg, where a nurse sat down with me & listened to my story & then said their main asthma-testing machine was broken & gave me the name & number of a clinic in Reading instead. In one of her bits of advice she suggested I "may not be able to continue hiking" & I'm sure I gave her a look like she was a crazed woman. Puh-lease! I've come three & a half months with it & I don't think I'll stop now, even if you can't help me.

Then it was on to Reading, another 15 miles south, to the clinic there, for an even more exciting experience with medical professionals. Upon arrival, we discovered it was a walk-in clinic, which I have absolutely nothing against, being a frequent visitor myself when I have a cold or something similar. However, I don't recommend them for a specialized sport - related problem. My poor doctor, who looked to be middle Eastern, had to ask me twice to explain what "hiking" is. He spent a good long time asking me a variety of questions about my health, few of which seemed related to my lungs or breathing, & then listened to my heartbeat before declaring I do not sound like a typical asthma patient. He suggested a dozen other maladies which could be causing shortness of breath - every thing from anemia to a mild heart attack that I may have previously suffered. I felt like rolling my eyes at that one, but I was too polite to do so. He started listing all the different tests he'd like to do to check for these things, including a chest x-ray, blood work, an EKG & on & on. After a while, I stopped him & said I didn't really plan to stay in town long enough for all this & I thought I would just finish my hike & then go through the tests with my home doctor. I do have to say one good thing about the visit - he gave me a sample inhaler to try when I have trouble breathing, to see if it will help. So even though I felt angry about wasting my whole morning with unhelpful doctors, I guess at least I got some thing to try.

I must also confess that my visit to the first clinic gave me some of the most exciting news I've had for a while. While I was waiting, I read part of the local paper, where it told about a John Denver tribute this Sunday at the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, a center for raptor research in this area. My schedule has me staying at the shelter on that same road (1.5 miles down) on Saturday, so I plan to take the day on Sunday to go down to the Sanctuary. I know all the musicians who are performing in the concert & I'm so excited that the timing has worked out this way! What a great thing to be able to look forward to,. especially just after Tony leaves, which generally makes me depressed for a few days.