Tag: section hike

June 19, 2024 – I Am Doing This (I Guess)

June 19, 2024 / / 0 Comments

I have gotten some books and maps and started reading them. I have purchased some of my desired equipment upgrades. I have started training by walking the dog a couple of miles nightly (baby steps for me and her). I have even taken an inaugural day hike. Most poignant of all, my wife is telling all these people and inviting them to come along. So I feel kind of committed at this point.

I figure my greatest risk is actually my physical ability. Unfortunately, I have enjoyed too much sedentary life of excess over the last couple of years and the clock is ticking. My tentative plan is to cover somewhere between 10-20 miles per day with a pack that is loaded for a week’s worth of travel. That will likely be 40-60 pounds.

The one thing that I remember vividly from doing this as a youth was how my shoulders ached from the weight of my pack. I remember the salesman saying that the hip belt was going to significantly reduce pack fatigue to almost nothing as long as everything was adjusted properly. While in theory I think that could be true, it sure wasn’t for me. I would like to be to the point that I have prepared adequately and be able to enjoy my trip while I am doing it, not just the edited memories afterward. I do plan to add a pack with weight to my training at some point. I am not just there yet.

As this is my dream, I feel the obligation to act as a leader. I am reading about the section of the PCT that I am considering doing and wondering to myself ‘Is this the best section to do if I am only going to do this once?’ or ‘If the recommended campsites can only hold one tent, then where can we stop?’ I feel some extra pressure that I really wasn’t anticipating when I came up with this idea.

My physical milestone at 40 was to run a half marathon. I never really thought that I would continue running after achieving the goal. Sure enough, I really didn’t. But, this hiking thing is something that I really would like to continue as long as possible. I have always been outdoors oriented and the practical physical fitness of packing transcends into hunting and preparedness as well.

I am no longer young and don’t have nearly as many competitive allusions of being ‘hardcore’. My fantasy as a young adult was to camp and fish all summer then hunt all fall. I let life get in the way and have really done very little of it over the years. Now I think it would be a-OK for me to just be able to do it, whatever it happens to be. I would like to ultimately be ‘hike ready’ in physical condition and with gear going forward.

I could definitely see performing many more hikes and certainly not running half marathons. But, that is putting the cart before the horse. Let’s get one big one in first and see how it goes for the rest of it. I have no formal training plan yet, but certainly there needs to be some gear checks as well as overnight practice. So that is to come.

End Your Programming Routine: On top of the challenges I already have, it is pretty likely that my wife’s treatment is going to interrupt my exuberance. I plan on writing about my progress as I go along so be forewarned. That being said, don’t be surprised if I get off to a slow start. Already June, July and most of August are penciled out to be primary care taker and cooped up in a small room not to be out of earshot of the patient.

May 23, 2024 – Fifty for 50

May 23, 2024 /

I might regret mentioning this today. I hope that it is part of my accountability mechanism. But, I have always wanted to do a multi-day hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. I hadn’t made rank to participate on the one hike that we did when I was in Boy Scouts. I always imagined that I would be this rampant outdoorsman when I grew up. That hasn’t quite proven to be true.

When I was 39, my wife cajoled me into running a half marathon. Her idea was that we should be more fit at 40 than we were at thirty. I procrastinated as much as I could but I ended up running a half marathon at 41. I was definitely in pretty good shape at that time.

Before all of this cancer business, my wife said that she would like to run another marathon at fifty. This time I said no. But it did get me thinking that I am really running out of time to do a serious hike. I am calling this fifty at fifty because I am planning on going at least fifty miles on the PCT next year.

I have no real idea at this point what the plan is going to be. I am thinking that I am going to do the southern oregon portion for several reasons. The first being that there are no permits required to hike it. The second is that Ashland is a logical terminus for the hike. My wife loves Ashland (were we met and went to college) so I already have a shuttle driver. Doing a week duration, hike I should be able to carry what I need without resupplying.

At this point, my biggest concern is being dramatically out of shape. I have unfortunately noticed my weight skyrocket since leaving my job as an Amazon delivery driver. At almost 50, I can’t just turn it on like I could at 20. It is going to take some time to get in shape which is why I am starting now.

I remember at 16, my shoulders aching from the pack. I am mentally preparing myself for the age appropriate penalty for carrying a pack. And for that reason, I will not only need to get in cardio-vascular shape but also weight bearing work. It means that I need to take some test hikes as well as exercise with my pack on.

I have all of the the 1980s – 1990s era gear that I need. I used to use my pack every month when I was that age. That being said, I may want to make some upgrades. But to start out, I think I want to “run what I brung”. This will also be part of the test regimen.

End Your Programming Routine: This is all subject to how things go with treatment. If it turns out that I can really make a go of getting fit, then I will likely make it happen. Otherwise it will probably be an abort but not forever. I am realistically running out of daylight with my physical ability, meaning I cant wait for retirement to do this. Expect periodic updates here on how it is going. I am pursuing a dream.