Tuesday, March 7, 2017
I have been focused for several months on today, the day I intended to step off from the rocks of Springer Mountain in Georgia, and begin a 5-6 month walk to Mount Katahdin in Maine.
Those plans were put on hold a week ago when I had surgery to repair a hernia.
| Weather | Cloudy, changing to drizzle, then rain and wind, then drizzle again |
| Trail Conditions | Asphalt and concrete |
| Today's Miles | 4.8 miles |
Today, instead of carrying a 30-pound pack up and down mountains in Georgia, I walked without a pack on the relatively flat terrain of my neighborhood.
This was the third day in a row I have done that, and it was the farthest I've walked so far. I felt slow on the first day out, but I'm already beginning to feel my normal self on my walks.
I expect that I will soon get itchy to do bigger miles.
I'm fortunate to have a nice walking trail near my house. A portion of it winds along a large pond before connecting to another, much longer greenway. In all, there are about 75 miles of greenway trails in my town.
My plan for the next couple of weeks is to walk at least five miles a day around my neighborhood or on other city greenways. I may even try to walk twice a day.
Assuming I continue to feel strong and comfortable, I will extend my mileage when possible. I hope to take longer day-hikes in Frozen Head State Park, which is only 45-50 minutes from my house.
I'm scheduled to visit with the doctor for a follow-up exam on March 21. Until then, I'm not supposed to lift more than 10 pounds. If he gives the sign-off, I will start carrying weight on my hikes. I'll also continue adding miles until it's time to leave for Georgia.
If all goes well, the start of my hike to Maine will be on April 3.
I got good care while I was in the hospital last week. The procedure only took about 30 minutes, and I was headed home about six hours after I had arrived.
If I were given a choice of leaving today or on April 3, I'd still prefer today. I spent a lot of time thinking about a hike strategy and working out a schedule. I chose an early March start date so I could stay on the front edge of the hiker bubble, not the middle. I also wanted to get out of the south before the hottest temperatures of the summer crept in.
It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that I was disappointed about not starting my hike today as planned. Still, there isn't any point in dwelling on that.
When the choice of leaving today was taken away, I started rethinking everything about my plans. In the end, I decided to hope for the best, to leave in early April, and use my extra time for more preparation.
Looking at the situation positively, I now have more time to train. I'm trying to complete a few tasks around the house and make some improvements to this website. I also picked up some extra freelance web development work to do.
I was ready before. I'll be ready again.
The sun will shine in my back door some day
The sun will shine in my back door some day
March winds will blow all my troubles away
I wish I was a headlight on a northbound train
I wish I was a headlight on a northbound train
I'd shine my light through the cool Colorado rain
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