Appalachian Trail preparation
I walked about 900 miles during the winter and spring, going out for 3 miles, twice per day on the flat landscape near home. I gradually increased my pack weight to 31 pounds, trying to gently build muscle and cartilage strength. I played tennis, hoping to condition knees and cardio, and to gain flexibility.
Even so, my weight inflated to 168 pounds. I could not understand the weight gain at the time, but the answer probably lay in my heavy granola breakfast and the advice to eat one piece of junk food daily (such as snacks at convenience stores).
I prepared or bought 200-300 pounds of bulk food, mostly organic and natural. Breakfast: homemade granola, including nuts and seeds. Snacks: homemade trail mix, dried fruits, fruit leathers, Snickers and Little Debbie's Brownies. Cooked meals: organic whole-wheat pasta with various seasonings, and rice with bean combinations.
Drying food and filling 700-800 baggies took weeks. The packing operation moved into a bathroom, with both air conditioner and dehumidifier running.
My base packweight was 8 or 9 pounds, 15-17 pounds provisioned. During the winter I bought a dozen pairs of running shoes on sale and broke them in. Most of them worked badly for heavy-duty use.
Outdoor skills seemed vital to preserving physical well-being and safety. From online journals it seemed most hikers experience mid-hike breakdowns involving foot and leg injury. Considering the inevitability of “hitting the wall," I wanted to recover and continue intact. Praying for help in adapting to adversity on the trail, I recited the 23rd Psalm.
Labels: philosophy