My second major gear purchase with the thought of the thru-hike in the back of my mind: Merrell Moab 2 Ventilator low hiking shoes. (The first was the Osprey Ozone Duplex 65 Travel Pack.) I wanted to get a shoe for walking around the streets of Madrid and the ruins of Greece during our upcoming trip to Europe. In the past, I probably would have simply gone with my usual running shoe, Asics Gel Nimbus. But since part of the adventure in Greece is hiking in the foothills around Mount Olympus, I thought I might as well get a pair of hiking shoes. And scratch the AT itch a bit. These hiking shoes certainly feel “chunky” on my feet, which are used to going barefoot, wearing sandals, boat shoes, running shoes or trail running shoes. (I wear Asics Gel Ventures as my everyday shoe for teaching; like the support and cushioning.) I am pairing the Merrell’s with Darn Tough Merino Wool Hiker 1/4 Cushion socks. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I kind of doubt the Merrell’s will become my thru-hiking shoe. (I really want to give Salomon’s a try.) This first “field” test might change my mind and I’ll probably give the Merrell’s a trail test sometime in the future. But for now, the Merrell’s will get me through Madrid and Greece. They won’t win any Euro-style points; they clearly look like a hiking shoe for the mountains. But function over form rules in the hiking world; my dream is to hike the Appalachian Trail, not the fashion catwalks of Europe. Cue Right Said Fred: “And I'm too sexy for Milan too sexy for Milan.”
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School’s out for the summer. (Cue Alice Cooper.) The weather is beautiful. Well, with the exception of the wind; it makes for a nice breeze sitting on the deck with my morning coffee, but the wind also means a Small Craft Advisory is in effect for my part of the Chesapeake Bay. No fun bouncing on the waves; so, the boat still stays at the dock. This will be the latest start the boating season since we’ve owned the boat. I guess I am a fair weather boater; the boat can handle the big waves and I’ve successfully navigated in pretty bad conditions. But it’s not enjoyable. No sense in taking chances for no reason. Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful morning to just reflect on this thru-hike “thing;” does this thru-hike have a reason?
The word “dream” right now somehow feels melodramatic. Considering the reality is probably years away, “strange obsession” might be more appropriate. The thought came to me the other day that if I were truly an “outdoorsman,” I wouldn’t have pretty much stopped hunting, fishing, camping, or backpacking 30+ years ago. It’s a cop-out to say life – a career, marriage, family – intervened. Case in point, a friend of mine is spending his Father’s Day today camping with his twin girls, along with several other dads for their annual Father’s Day camping trip. He is an avid outdoorsman, frequently taking his girls camping, canoeing, or just hiking. He hunts. He fishes. This is what my father also did; my relationship with the outdoors began with my father taking me fishing, hunting and camping as a kid. In the summer, we were camping as a family every weekend. Being outdoors was part of our life, not a distraction from life. Perhaps I let being outdoors slip away because I didn’t really “love” it as a part of my life. At the risk of being overemotional, the familiar phrase: “If you love something, let it go; if it comes back, it is yours forever. If it does not, it was never meant to be…” The question could be, did I let the outdoors go or did the outdoors let me go? Too philosophical; too deep. The real question might be, is this thru-hike “thing” a fleeting fantasy or a concrete goal? It may be time to awake from the “dream” and make a decision. It’s not the final decision point to hike or not, but it may be time to decide on the reasons to hike. My father passed away more than 16 years ago; nevertheless, Happy Father’s Day, Dad; thank you for giving me the gift of the outdoors. Today is a milestone. It is my 35th wedding anniversary. But today was also my first trip to my local REI! Okay, full disclosure: my wife had to work today until 8pm and it’s raining; so, it was a good day to explore. We'll share a little celebration when she gets home later tonight.
At REI, I had the goal of looking at day packs – I want to get a new one before our upcoming trip to Spain and Greece. My Eastern Mountain Sports 4WJive day pack is probably 20 years old and has been my steady EDC bag; it’s still as solid as ever, but I really want to get an Osprey pack to start looking at that line’s quality. And I did buy a pack: Osprey Ozone Duplex 65 Travel Pack; this interesting design combines a day pack with a carry-on duffel (see below). I was immediately curious when I came across this pack by chance; I had never seen it online during my virtual explorations. It felt great in the store; we’ll see how it does in a field test traveling to Europe. The day pack will even get a chance to support a hike up a portion of Mount Olympus. I also took the opportunity to look at the Osprey Exos 58; this remains my prospective choice of a pack – I liked the look and feel of this pack. Additionally, I looked at the Osprey Kestrel 38 as a potential day/overnight pack; I liked this one as well and I will likely purchase the Kestrel sooner rather than later for potential short hikes with my son and grandson. I also bought a pair of Columbia Silver Ridge Convertible Pants; these are my choice for the thru-hike prospectus. I tried on REI’s Sahara Convertible Pants; didn’t quite like the fit, especially in the waist. I also tried KUHL Renegade Convertible Pants; nice fit, but the 30” inseam was actually longer and would drag on the ground. So, my online research has been confirmed by in-store fittings; plus, Columbia’s pants are the lowest price point at $60 and even come with a belt. And only weigh 12oz; another plus for these pants. These will also get an initial test on the Spain/Greece trip. Finally, I tried on some shoes: both the Salomon XA Pro 3D Trail-Running Shoes and the Merrell Moab Ventilator 2.0 hiking shoes; a pair of these will also make the Spain/Greece trip. I really liked the fit/feel of the Salomon shoes; but I am not so sure about the look for a European vacation. (I know that “look” really shouldn’t be a criterion and it won’t be when it comes to thru-hike purchases.) The Merrell’s have a great look, but the fit/feel as a bit stiff and chunky. I really doubt these are the shoes for a thru-hike; so, I am wondering if they are even worth a preliminary field test. My online prospectus research actually pointed to the Salomon X Ultra 3 hiking shoes, but my local REI didn’t have these in stock. So, I am still undecided about a shoe purchase for the trip. A final note: I’ve been testing out Darn Tough socks – a couple pairs will make the Europe trip. First up are the CoolMax 1/4 Ultra-light Cushion running sock; I like these, they feel great in my standard running shoe (Asics Gel Nimbus) and felt good trying on shoes at REI. But ultimately, these won’t be my thru-hike socks. My online prospectus suggests CoolMax Hiker Micro Crew Cushion, but these will need a serious hiking field test. In the meantime, I picked up a pair of Merino Wool Hiker 1/4 Cushion socks; it will come down to these and the CoolMax hiker socks. Now, my bride will be home soon; time to make sure the champagne is chilled. Lately, I have been feeling more fatigued in the evenings – I attributed it to getting up early and dealing with the emotionally draining aspects of teaching ninth graders in a very challenging high school. Also, I have started waking up in the middle of the night to visit the bathroom almost every night – I have been taking medication for pre-diabetes and started to wonder if the prefix was no longer applicable. My wife is a nurse practitioner and she indicated some concern that there might be something serious going on with my health. So, I visited my doctor this past week. His initial diagnosis: I am getting old – fatigue and peeing more are normal at “my age.” He also indicated that as long as the blood tests come back “clean,” the real issue is being overweight (more than 40 pounds) and diet. Blood tests resulted in good news and bad news. Good news: blood tests are all normal; there is nothing seriously wrong. Bad news: I am old and fat. In a few weeks, I will be 59 years old; and then comes 60. When I turned 30, 40, 50, they were just numbers – I was actually in my best physical shape in those years. Gradually though, the writing was on the wall. In my 50s, my running pace started to slow down and when I retired, I stopped running/training seriously. The weight started accumulating. Last week I saw a photo of myself from the side at our faculty bocce tournament. I was shocked at the fat old man I have become. My mind’s eye still sees myself as that 175 pound fit 30-something soldier in the 10th Mountain Division or the 185 pound 40-year old running his first marathon. The reality: today I am not fit enough to hike even a short section of the Appalachian Trail. The dream: if I am ever going to complete a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, preparation needs to seriously start today. Losing weight and becoming more fit is not one of my reasons in and of itself to hike the Appalachian Trail. Although, proving that I can complete a physical challenge like a thru-hike in my 60s is surely becoming a reason to hike. So, losing weight and becoming more fit needs to be the second step in my journey towards the trail.
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Quiet Man
I don't have a bucket list. At 61 years old, I have already had the adventures of a lifetime, especially after a 30-year Army career, five years of teaching high school, and a 37 year marriage still going strong. But I still have this deep desire to complete the Appalachian Trial. Archives
February 2022
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