Greetings, my name is Clyde Sisler. I was 55 years old in June, 1999, had no bills, no responsibilities and no commitments to worry about. I quit my job, sold the house and all my stuff. All I have left is some camping gear, a canoe, a kayak and a van.
Before that I weighed 250 pounds and smoked 2-3 packs a day. This proved a bit too much for my body. In March/1993 I had a 100 percent blockage of my left artery causing sudden cardiac death and leaving 40 percent of my heart nothing but scar tissue. Fortunately this happened right in front of a security guard with CPR training with 2 nurses just down the hall.
I excerised and had a pretty healthy diet for 6 years and lost almost 50 lbs. When I found myself slipping back into old habits I gave up my old life and hit the road. Much of this web site is devoted to my travels as I hike and paddle around the U.S.
In November/2007 I went to an emergency room in Yuma, AZ with chest pains. A catherization revealed 80-90 percent blockage of another artery requiring bypass surgery. While the surgery was a success my heart stopped 3 times in one night and again later on. Where better to have that happen than in a Cardiac Intensive Care Unit?
When you get knocked down, you have to get back up, right? After 2 months of recovery I was back on the road again. I'm back pretty close to normal now and am really trying to get back to 100% or better.
I will keep on with my hiking & paddling and will continue maintaining this web site. You're invited to stop by to check on my doings whenever you're feeling cabin fever.
Happy hiking, paddling or whatever.
Clyde
05/01/11: Hit another bump in the road and got knocked down agan.
Late March I had a colonectomy & a colostomy. The first sliced into my intestines to remove a blockage & the second allows me to poop out of my armpit.
Close to death for a while but snuck past the grim reaper again. 3 weeks in the hospital & 3 more weeks in a nursing home. Back in my motorhome now with friends nearby to get me past the next couple of weeks... back to the trails after my recovery. I admit to being a little tired of this recovery stuff though.