This summer, I had the distinct pleasure of having both of my knees opened up — they were last closed in 2015 and 2016 when an ortho replaced the right, then left knee. The procedure involved removing an old plastic “cushion” between the prosthetic joints and reinserting a new one. Sixteen days out from surgery, I took my first foray back into the woods for a 2.5-mile hike. While it wasn’t “easy,” it was the first step in recuperating so I can be back on the AT with a backpack in another four weeks.

Here’s what’s amazing: I went through the first “cushions” in about 4,000 miles. In essence, I’d worn out the “tread” on my tires. That’s 10 years and thousands of miles covered in the woods and on neighborhood walks. When I complete that cycle again, all I’ll need is new tires. Isn’t that something? That knees can be replaced, re-tread, and then sent back out for no-limits hiking, backpacking, skiing?

When I set out to hike the Appalachian Trail three years ago – 150 to 200 miles at a time – I earned the trail name “New Knees” because of the Uber cool scars on my legs. With even less-sightly, cooler scars, I look forward to a revised trail name: “New and Improved New Knees.”