Meant to post my big hike post sooner, life gets in the way some times...this time in the form of a serious bout of poison ivy AND job transitions all overlapping.


The Appalachian Trail (+ hikers) as seen from Elk Gardens



( Here's a few more pictures from my day )

read closely this is clever and fun. I don't think that I will be able to ever encapsulate myself in six words - but my general subject lines can. (on a bad day I came up with "born in California, downhill from there").


Another 12 mile day.

This time, the Blue Ridge Parkway, just up from our valley.


Drove up, parked, hiked UPHILL six miles and then returned. It seemed easier in some ways than last weeks, but harder in others. I didn't drink enough water the last 3 miles and i'm now suffering one of those exertion headaches usually driven by a long run in the heat.

Miles 1-3: A little like meditation, it takes effort to purge the brain of trivialities (TV shows, to-do lists, etc.). Main thoughts...cake decoration. Mentally decorated a certain work person's retirement jello cake (which is super silly, because the retirement is wishful thinking), spent the rest of the time trying to figure out how in the world to construct an Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom ice cream cake.

Miles 3-6: The trouble with out-and-back is that when the 'out' is pretty much the uphill slog, then mile 6 feels like the achievement. Thus, halfway through I mentally felt done. I did count a bit to get to that most uphill point. keeping the view to myself, i worked for it. :)

Miles 6-9: Now THIS bit had rhythm. Slogged past Rattlesnake Lodge ruins, encountered some German hikers, and spent a good mile or so trying to recall jr. high school German class nouns and creating pleasant conversation in mein kopf.

Miles 9-12: Part of this bit looks like this. Hiking along, I passed a gaggle of camera-carriers hovering around what I thought should have been something mobile, like a butterfly or bird. But no...they were flower hunters and I got a glimpse of something pink as I sped past


I returned via vehicle for a closer look.

The best part of the hike was when I was at mile 10.5...I met a gentleman hiker volunteering for the Carolina Mountain Club. Over the course of about 10 min. I learned that he was originally from Chile, lived for years in upstate new york, believed in global warming and zoning, retired to NC 20 years ago after crossing over the Great Smokey Mountains and realizing he was 'home' - he also declared that I'd found my mountains, that I would never leave, and that someday I would remember him saying so. His name was Jorge and he reminded me of my grandfather. lovely day.

I've decided to post about my 'big' hikes...now that they are 10 miles or more. I will still summarize my week in my filtered format. But these long hikes are a breed of their own and possibly worth documenting differently. Although, for the most part they will be the same hikes over and over again and will look essentially like this:




Saturday (yesterday) I did my first 12-miler (Loop E twice). I have run that distance before, but it was a few years ago and I had forgotten a bit about how each and every time you take on a new distance, the added length (in this case, 2 miles more than previous long hikes) is *the* test.

Challenges this week:
83 effing degrees. OK, so i know my marathon is in mid July and will most likely be hotter than that...but it sucked. The first 6 miles were physically easy but hot hot hot. Then around mile 8 a storm started to roll in and I was torn between joy for the cool breeze and worry over whether or not the lighting/thunder/rain was actually going to hit me with an hour left in my hike.
Additionally, my iPod is still dead and I forgot to ask for coffeefortwo's. So the rhythm was all in my head. Which does some odd things (see below).

Random Thoughts (from what I can remember and probably best left unsaid):

Miles One-Four: Why haven't wasps adapted to NOT building their underground holes in the middle of the beaten path? Are people born evil and taught to be good...born good and taught to be evil...or born with the capacity for both and taught gradations of both? All this downhill is really going to suck when it is mile 10 through 12 on my way back.

Miles Four-Seven: Perhaps my problem is that my inner rhythm, my repeated word in my head, is "no.no.no.no.no" some people probably dance to a tune of YES! But not me. Not even sure what started the first 'no' but they lasted a while. The particular black shorts I was wearing cannot be worn on distances over 6 miles as they start to chafe.

Miles Seven-Ten: Worrying about the storm - loving the storm. Remembered the childhood story of thunder being bowling in the sky (or some such thing). thought about how we (family) used to sit out on our porch in WI and watch the storms roll in (or walk down to the river). Blisters really started after mile 8 (on feet). Got tired of cranberry flavored water. Created film reel in head on how to get the gydgs on 'what not to wear' (i was very convincing).

Miles Ten-Twelve: Realized that the sound of my voice in my head (my unspoken voice) actually has no sound? I think that I had a concept of sound when I thought words to myself. I mean, I can sing in my head and 'hear' the notes kind of...but my voice, which i had thought was a variation on what I hear when I speak...was not there. it is more like a whisper - but not because it is not quiet, it has force and inflection and emotion...but no sound. The uphill wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but i was moving VERY slowly on the way down to the car.

First 6 miles in 1:45, Final time - 3:45. Not great but ok. At that rate, if I improve my fitness level on the longer distances...i should be able to hike the full marathon in 9 hours. Maybe a bit more depending on breaks. Sounds eternal I imagine to those of you that bike or run...or even who walk flat surfaces. But for hiking roughish terrain with ups and downs, it's good enough for me.

It's that time again...under the wire with my ( Project 365 )