Date: 2006-03-27
To: I wonder if I'll be able to...
Miles today: 0.0

¢¦avoid blisters? The biggest I¢ve ever seen have been on the AT. Not mine, thank goodness, but on others who somehow felt pausing to tend to a hot spot would put them behind schedule. That¢s one of those denial, mental mistakes many hikers make early on since at no time in their city life have they had to yield to their tender heels. What results are days in town trying to recover or the angst of trying to find new shoes. (I¢ve found that a good long piece of duck tape across the back of your feet is a good preventative step for the first couple weeks of a thru-hike.) In the 2174.1 miles of my first thru-hike, I never had a blister. I hope to repeat that feet, I mean feat. I wonder if I¢ll be able to avoid my fifth or sixth day doldrums? And odd funk has found me almost every time I¢ve long distance hiked on or about those days. In ¢04, I met Dharma & Greg (who I trailnamed) during my only episode of the hike and thanks to our chemistry together; I was pulled out of a low mood. There¢s a vulnerable period of time for everyone, for me it was those early days where we¢re not city people any longer, but not fully acclimated AT thru-hiker. Getting stuck in the middle is never good in any scenario. But this hike I start wiser. There are things I know now that eluded me then. I wonder if I¢ll love making miles again? Being a purpose driven person, it gave me joy to not lollygag. I enjoyed walking with a destination in mind. I wonder if I¢ll be able to do twenty-mile days again? Or twenty-five¢s? Or a thirty? Or to stop and just take a nap and linger and be a lollygagger but not feel like a lollygagger? When I first thru-hiked, I was curious as to what I¢d be capable of ¢¦for no other reason than the distance itself and the personal pride in doing something I didn¢t know I could. Distance is in the realm of Hike Your Own Hike. Some do big miles to brag (That wasn¢t me). Some do big miles to make a timetable (That wasn¢t me either). Some to catch up and some to leave a personality they¢d rather not be around (me, once). But mainly, I did a lot of twenty¢s because my fitness allowed me to do them. The more I did the easier they were to do. My biggest day was into Damascus at 34.1 ¢ (Although when I was 12, I think my sister and I did at least that on our first day at Walt Disney World?) Of course knowing Damascus had pepperoni pizza added a wonderful incentive. I wonder if I¢ll be able to lose as much weight and become as fit again too? Thru-hiking made me stronger and healthier than any other time in my life experience. It wears some hikers down to their primal nub of DNA and then others, like me, it turned me into an athlete. I loved dropping the 48 pounds and hope it¢ll happen again. When I faced Katahdin, my leg muscles laughed at that ascent, which isn¢t intended to disrespect The Greatest Mountain. What I¢m trying to convey is that all that exercise agreed with my body, and because of it, my happiness grew too. I know its vanity speaking, but it was nice having a five-inch smaller waist and hollows in my cheeks (yea, all four of them) when I posed for my photo atop Katahdin. I wonder too if I¢ll become comfortable with the sounds of the night and become one with the wilderness again? (It¢s definitely a Zen thing.) Although I never hiked at night, I thought nothing of visiting the dark woods when nature called. I wonder if the loons will sing to me again and if maybe this time, I¢ll see a moose while on the trail? I wonder if it will rain less this season? Exactly one third of my days were rain. 2004, according to the Weather Channel was the fifth wettest on the books. (A fact I sort of figured out on my own.) I wonder if it¢ll snow or hail or sleet? I wonder if there really is a Treasure of the Sierra Madre? And if Elvis has really left the building? (I don¢t really wonder about those last two, but was just wondering if you¢re still paying attention?)I suppose I just have to put an end to all this wondering and start walking. Just ten days till the wondering becomes northbound wandering.