Nature Knows It's Math

Post date: Mar 26, 2016 3:32:28 AM

This morning I got up not sure if the ankle would allow a hike today. After being up a short time, it seemed well enough to give it a try. Glad I did because the day's hike went well. Sprains of the ankle and other joints have traditionally been treated according to the RICE routine- Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation, as well as ibuprofen or another NSAID. Recently, some have questioned this and feel Rest should be ditched and replaced by Active Recovery, Ice should be thrown out altogether, while Compression and Elevation are still reasonable. Ibuprofen should be used only for 24-48 hours and thereafter can impede healing. So the new mnemonic could be ACNE- Active recovery, Compression, NSAIDs for 1-2 days, and Elevation. The new paradigm. Maybe.

My friend Ralph just sent me a nice poem:

Nature Knows It's Math

Divide

the year

into seasons,

four,

subtract

the snow then

add

some more

green,

a bud,

a breeze,

a whispering

behind

the trees,

and here

beneath the

rain-scrubbed

sky

orange poppies

multiply.

I was thinking about this poem today as I walked and at about 4-5 miles into the hike, I came upon a nice view of the Nantahala Valley on a short side trail. After the view I came back to the main trail and proceeded with the hike. Ten minutes later I came upon a couple hiking in the opposite direction...but I had seen them before...and they were going north like me. I asked them if they were northbound and, yes, sure enough they were. I had headed in the wrong direction and added 1.1 miles onto the hike! Hmmmm... I was thinking about how nature knows it's math and learned that doing so can make 13.6 miles = 14.7 miles.

Nantahala Outdoor Center to Stecoah Gap 13.6 miles, total 151