Superior Canal DeWhat?

Karen and I liked to hike. A few years after we married we bought a tract of land in Pickaway county where we wanted to build our “forever home.”

After buying the property we faced a situation where our business really needed a warehouse, and instead of building a house we put everything we had into the business, saving none for our home. But each weekend we went out to the property and we cut trails, hiked around, and had picnics, imagining that we’d one day build a home there. We even named the place “Ironwood Manor,” pretending like we had some grand estate.

I don’t think many people saw Karen hiking on uneven ground, or watched her when she climbed stairs. If you did pay attention you might have seen her grip a handrail, or if I was there you might have noticed her grabbing my hand.

When we first started dating I thought she just wanted to make me feel good. Later I learned that she actually needed the hand, and was grateful that she trusted me to provide it.

It wasn’t until a a number of years into our marriage that we discovered that she suffered from a condition called Superior Canal Dehiscence Syndrome. This is when there is a thinness of the bones in the inner ear canal that causes hearing and balance issues. She had a severe case where there was a hole between the ear canal and her brain. The doctors were amazed that she was able to function as well as she did.

Normally, somebody who had a hole that size had serious troubles functioning, and had troubles hearing. When diagnosing the problem one doctor asked her whether she could hear her own heartbeat and Karen answered “of course, doesn’t everybody?”

Karen spent her entire life struggling with her balance. She persevered because she diligently challenged herself. She loved to hike, and didn’t let her balance problems stop her. I don’t know what she did before we were together, but know that we hiked the trails together, hand in hand. Unlike most people, she was never comfortable in her ability to find sure footing, yet she still put one foot in front of the other, and faced the challenge head on.

She and I cut trails around our property. I haven’t hiked the walking trails since she was here with me, but today started clearing one of the trails so people could enjoy it again.

We cut a couple walking trails. The one I started back down today is an unfinished trail called “Interesting Tree Trail” (named by Karen). I cut my way far enough to get to the interesting tree.

Here are a couple of pics.

I remember Karen helping clear the trail with her machete and it was nice to return to the spot today.

It was when we first started cutting trails around Ironwood Manor that I realized that Karen was grabbing my hand because she needed it, not just to make me feel needed.

Karen struggled with her balance throughout her life. Although she hid this struggle from the world, she shared it with me, and I’m grateful. If you get a chance to hike Interesting Tree Trail, consider how challenging it was for Karen to help forge it. That will make the experience even more rewarding.