Thanks for the Advice

"Brad, I know that you could physically go out tomorrow and run a marathon. But you'd be dead afterwards. That's what the hike is going to be like. I want you to put 40 pounds on your back and go out and hike 30 miles in a day. You could do it, but you're not going to be able to walk the next day."

I can safely say that after having started my practice hiking that the person who gave me that bit of wisdom is full of shit.

After two weeks of hiking at least once per day (minus the time in Vegas) with anywhere from 15 to 35 pounds on my back, I've come to the conclusion that anyone, regardless of how good or bad of shape they're in, can decide to pick up a bag and go out and hike. It might be a different story if you have a bad back, but that's really the only caveat I can think of.

The key is hiking your own pace. Out of all the advice and tips that I've read, that bit seems to be the most helpful. When you decide to do something that your body isn't ready or willing to do, that's when you get hurt. Hike too fast, you're going to get hurt. Don't rest enough, you're going to get hurt. Don't plan out your food and water breaks, you're going to get hurt. All it takes is listening to your body.

The problem for me is that walking is a slow process. It will get you where you need to go, but it takes forever. Yesterday I hiked just over five miles and it took me 2 1/2 hours. Running, will take you 35 and you can drive that in five, but then again, that's not the point.

Only now am I beginning to realize how antsy I am and that became very clear to me when I went on my first practice hike. I decided to take it easy and go for two miles or so in the morning before work. The whole thing took about 45 minutes and after I hit 20 minutes, I had this overwhelming feeling of "gotta go, gotta get there, gotta go go go go finish now!" And I felt myself walking faster and faster and had to consciously slow down, telling myself to relax two or three times.

That might be the biggest adjustment once I get out to California, having nothing but hiking on my schedule for 5-6 months straight. Whether it is or not, my day always feels filled with tasks to be completed. Gotta update my blog, gotta hike, gotta stretch, gotta go to Shop Rite, gotta get gas, gotta go hang out at someone's house, gotta do this and that and this and that.

They're tiny things that really mean nothing and aren't actually things-to-do that I've put down on a list. But I know they're out there and that at some point they've got to be done, so I begin thinking of all possible things combined into one giant whole of tasks-to-be-completed, I get overwhelmed and my ability to plan starts to shut down.

Once I'm on the trail, the only thing I have to worry about is getting to the next town, going the next 15-20 miles and that's about it. No job, no car, no places to be except heading northbound. There's going to be nothing driving me forward other than attempting to complete the trail. No need to rush, no need to get anything done, no items on a schedule to check off. Wake up, eat, hike, rest and eat, hike, stop for dinner, hike, sleep, repeat.

The other day I was struggling to get my water bottle out of the side pocket of my bag. I don't want to stop, but because the bag is strapped tight to me, I can get my fingertips on it, but can't reach far enough to grab a hold of it.

I'm fighting with it for about a quarter mile, I'm getting angry because I just want to drink some goddamn water but...this...fucking...bag...won't cooperate! So I prop the bag up on top of someone's fence, take it off and rip the water bottle out of the pocket. I sit there and drink for a minute or two, put the bottle back in the pocket, strap up and keep walking.

Then I think to myself, "Why didn't I just do that in the first place?" It was almost as if I was unconsciously listening to that 30 mile mandate, telling myself to keep walking when there was no reason I couldn't stop. There was nothing necessitating that I keep on walking, but I just felt like I had to, that I'd be wasting time if I had to stop and take off my bag.

Which brings me back to the point I started making a few paragraphs ago - you've got to hike your own hike. Once the bag was off, I calmed down, got some energy back from the water, gave my shoulders a break and felt refreshed. So now when I need a break, I take a break. If I want to stop and look around or just listen to the sounds in the woods, I do it. What's stopping me?

So in the unlikely event that you get the 2,650 mile itch, don't listen to the idiot that tells you to try a 30 mile day first to see if you can handle it. Go slow, do what your body tells you it can do, take a break every now and again, and don't curse...at...this...motherfucking...water bottle! It's only there to help.