Foot Problems

Karl Meltzer who is trying to break the speed record for the Appalachian Trail has foot problems.

Karl spent the morning at the hospital in Bennington. The worry was that his pain was due to a stress fracture or blood clots. Both very bad. Neither was the case. It turns out that the rain in Maine had more of an effect on Karl than just slowing his pace. Three hundred miles with wet feet on waterfall trails resulted in a nasty case of trench foot, also known as hyperhydrosis or "immersion foot." Essentially, the skin on his feet is rotting. Nice.

(Karl, Jonny and Cheryl are all super stoked on the smell that happens to be associated with this ailment.)

As we have been saying, his favoring his foot to alleviate the pain caused a stress injury in his left anterior tibialis. As of this morning, he has officially been diagnosed with tendonitis.

Karl will be fine. He has the meds he needs to treat the trench foot and the tendonitis. He is still icing and elevating. And eating and sleeping.

Looks like he will not make the record this year, but He's young and the trail is not going anywhere. Except maybe Alabama.