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Posted: 7/14/2008 - Grand Canyon Adventure-Debby Update 2
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Summary:
Im happy to say that Ive made some progress towards this adventure since my last entry
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Full Blog:
Hi everyone,
Im happy to say that Ive made some progress towards this adventure since my last entry. Last week, I went to Eastern Mountain Sports and the store manager helped me fit my pack, hiking poles, a big hat, and the right hiking socks.
Although it may sound silly, these things are out of my comfort zone, so there was a lot of pre-worry (as Dr. Peeke might put it) over finding and getting the right stuff. But once I found a knowledgeable sales person, it wasnt hard at all. Its amazing how much engineering goes into this stuff--especially the socks! Hopefully all of this will translate into a good experience, as I still dont think of myself as an experienced hiker. The right gear has got to make a difference, so I hope I got it right.
This past weekend, my husband Ken and I celebrated our 20th anniversary. And miraculously (due to his running a start-up company, and also our not having any relatives in town,) we were able to pull off a three night/four day trip to Niagara on the Lake, (with a reliable college student left in charge of the kids and assorted pets).
We finally had a chance to go for a long hike. We went to a place called Balls Falls, and it was beautiful. Unfortunately, it was full of mosquitoes, so that was lesson number one. WEAR BUG SPRAY WHEN HIKING IN THE WOODS IN HUMIDITY! Lesson number two was, DONT WEAR A SLEEVELESS SHIRT WHEN WEARING A PACK! After the first 1.5 miles, my arms were chaffed, and Ken graciously wore my pack for me. But the good news is, we hiked 9.2 miles, and I even ran up a hill at the end, just to show myself that I could do it. While I know that I need to go on progressively longer hikes to be fully prepared, (while wearing my pack) this hike was the longest one Ive ever done. And it was very doable! We even got to a place on the trail where we had to climb up a ladder to get over a fence, and down another one on the other side. I dont think at 212 pounds last August that would have been very much fun.
Lesson number three on our trip, IF YOU EAT OUT FOR EVERY MEAL, YOUR WEIGHT WILL GO UP. And that stinks. So even though I know that it will come back off, going up two pounds after weighing myself this morning is a frightening experience. It brings up fears of losing control, re-gaining the weight, and letting go of my vision of success. Fortunately, Ive come far enough on this journey to be able to handle this kind of panic. Its called, adapt and adjust, regroup, and take-action. And all of that is a good thing. Because I never ate anything during this weight removal process that I didnt like. Isnt that amazing? I mean, if I can learn to love veggies, then I promise, anyone can! So getting back on track is actually something to look forward to.
Still, with all of my progress, I was surprised on Saturday when we went to the movies, and I had a difficult time not overeating on popcorn. This hasnt been a problem for me at all in several months, as I always pre-measure, or decide in advance how much Ill allow myself. But I learned this weekend that I cant take for granted that I will magically stop at the right moment if I dont do this. As Dr. Peeke says, If I fail to plan, then I plan to fail.
Lesson number four from our trip was awesome. ITS SO MUCH FUN TO HIKE WITH HIKING POLES! I dont know why I was dreading this one. But once I got used to the poles, they made going up and down hills so much easier. And faster. I just have to get my triceps used to it for the long hikes.
Lesson number five from our trip is that JUST WHEN YOU GET USED TO BEING AWAY FROM YOUR KIDS, ITS TIME TO COME HOME! But our reward for ending this trip was a wonderful reunion with our two boys, and the petsoh, and a challenging workout with my trainer this morning at the YMCA.
And unfortunately, lesson number six, is MY BACK IS STILL UNSURE IF IT LIKES LONG HIKES. So with a bit of an aching lower back, and a sore neck and shoulders, my trainer and I are focusing on continuing strength training that will hopefully shore me up for this GRAND hike in late August.
Stay tuned! I look forward to reporting back on how things are progressing. Please wish me luck!
All the best,
Debby
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