I've been feeling twinges in my right knee for several months now. But I've chosen to ignore the problem and keep on hiking.

I could take it easy and rest the knee, but I honestly don't think the result would be any different. Besides, it's summer and I want to hike dammit.

Well, descending the steep ledges of East Baldpate on Sunday, near the tail end of a 21-mile backpack along the Grafton Loop Trail, the knee went from bad to worse. The pain became intense and I figured it would give out at any moment.

The steep ledges on East Baldpate can be tough on the knees.

Looking back on East Baldpate along the AT/GLT.

Great! A matching set now. My left knee collapsed while descending the Firewarden's Trail on Bigelow five summers ago. That made for quite an ordeal, dragging myself six miles out to the highway on one leg. I was alone at the time, of course.

This time the knee, although painful, held out. Even as I twisted my right ankle nicely three times in the course of a mile coming down the brutal trail of West Baldpate.

But I made it out to Route 26 okay. And a couple of pints of Knuckleball Bock at the Sunday River Brew Pub afterward seemed to take the edge off the pain. Funny how that works.

So, just for yucks, I'll go see my doctor again. And he'll likely tell me the same thing as with my left knee, which, after a variety of tests, including an MRI (all negative), came up with no reasonable explanation other than, hey, you're over 40 and your parts are wearing out.

Just what you want to hear, but after 30 years of heavy trail use, what can you expect?

So I'll just keep plugging along. And popping the ibuprofen. And putting back the occasional medicinal pint of beer too.