“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity,” John Muir, “Our National Parks.” If you aren’t one of the tired people who have realized how helpful getting into the wilderness is, I encourage you to take one of these hikes – or the closest one to you – then call me in the morning. I guarantee you that whatever problems you face seem so much better after a long walk outside.
I figured the second anniversary of my diagnosis was as good as any to get back on the blogging horse and ride a while again. So what have I been up to for the last six months? Well, kicking Gus out – for real and true this time – is just one thing.
My first section hike of the Appalachian Trail was unplanned – and short.
I decided to try another hike without Gus, this time up a mountain to a waterfall. It was an epic fail. But hey, it was in the mountains so I’m not beating myself up about it too much.
Dr. Negativity – the one who keeps saying I’ll never be off oxygen – is finally coming around. Might I be off oxygen by the end of the summer? I decided to try a hike without Gus and see how my lungs kept up without their training wheels.
Sometimes ticking off a goal on a checklist isn’t as much fun as just wandering aimlessly through the woods.
Today, I was supposed to knock out three hikes and make up for some lost time. But, with the temperature in the single digits this morning when I started to head out, I thought I’d rather just curl up with a pot of coffee and get some busy work done. (Hiking in sub-zero temps may be OK with The Real Hiking Viking, but not for Cassie. Though I am enjoying watching his hike progress.) I was going to hike Shawnee Lookout today, but instead I’ll fill you in on some of the history of my second-favorite local park. Then next weekend, we’ll see how my lungs fare on its trails.
The lesson I learned from Hike 4: Not all trails are for me.
So. If you need oxygen when you hike, and you know you’ll need more than one tank for your hike, make sure you bring everything you need or your day is ruined.
There was this one big hill I’ve avoided since my lungs broke. Not anymore! Consider Gobbler’s Trace Trail vanquished.
My last hike for the summer season was a huge let down. I only ended up logging two out of a planned six miles, I had no water and I threw the biggest trail tantrum of my life.
breathlessadventurer.com 