Take a hike
Have you been taking your daily recommended number of steps lately?
With activity trackers on our wrists and in our mobile phones, it’s easier than ever to log how many steps or miles we walk each day. I firmly believe I could walk one of those marathons – walk, not run. My fitness tracker regularly reminds me that I’ve walked the length of Alaska or Italy or some other exotic spot.
One of my friends is putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to walking this summer. He’s literally walking from Georgia to Maine. Yep, he’s hiking the Appalachian Trail! I would like to imagine that I could walk the trail over the course of a few months, with the stipulation that I didn’t have to carry anything more than a water bottle and that I got to stay in hotel rooms with real beds along the way. Those two caveats pretty much rule me out from this fantastic adventure. You see, my friend Jim is not only hiking the entire trail in his middle age, but he’s also carrying a 54-pound backpack with everything he needs and camping under the stars each night. Well, most nights.
There have been occasional suspicious social media posts showing him and other hikers in what appear to be comfy hotel rooms. Last weekend, Jim and his band of hiker friends spent time in Washington, D.C., enjoying Independence Day festivities. That’s not exactly what I call roughing it.
There have been a few moments of concern, like the day he texted me to ask the weather forecast for Virginia. This was the day that massive rainfall flooded portions of southern West Virginia and western Virginia. Wisely, Jim and the hikers stayed off-trail and were safely ensconced indoors until the storms passed.
On one of his first hiking days, Jim also posted he spotted a bear. We weren’t sure for whom to be more concerned since Jim is also a hunter and has gone bear hunting in the past. We also get laughs from the fact he has a pedometer on each leg and they often don’t match in number of steps … so we imagine him taking a step and dragging the other foot.
When Jim first detailed his plans to our group of friends, most of us secretly thought he was crazy for attempting this. He is a retired firefighter and EMT and in good physical shape, but he’s not a marathon runner or even a regular hiker. Jim has surprised us all and is having the time of his life and the last laugh. He’s already worn through one pair of boots and has completed a third of the Appalachian Trail. His deadline for hitting Maine is September so he can attend his daughter’s wedding. We’re all hoping he makes it in time and doesn’t show up at the church in his hiking boots. Go, Jim, go!
Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.