Getting in the Zone

Well, it’s reached that point. Much like the last time I decided to go walk up and down mountains for awhile, the idea of the freedom and simplicity of being immersed and, for the most part, alone, in the woods is consuming me. I stare out the window at my front desk job at the Y and people ask me if I’m OK. I was taking an order at the bar last night and a customer commented, “Dog, you look like this the last place on Earth you wanna be right now.” He was probably right.

I think I’ve mentioned this before but, the funny thing is, it’s not the hiking I’m looking forward to. Well, let me clarify: hiking is hard. Really, really, hard. This coming from a triathlete, marathon finisher, and all around body-abusing-sports-psycho. It’s everything about the trail that makes the experience so unique, memorable, and very, very special; getting rides from complete strangers, free meals, meeting people from all around the world, standing on top of mountains and realizing just how small you are – all the things that aren’t the hiking part.

Yes hiking is physical as hell and yes I love shit like that – I do enjoy it in the body-abusing-sports-psycho part of my brain. But what I’m really, really looking forward to is making friends; getting to a road crossing after carrying a 30 pound backpack 26 miles and sticking out my thumb; hitching a ride into town at dusk, setting up camp behind a Wal-Mart, and buying pitchers at Shenanigan’s while downing buckets of fries and pot-stickers. Because I’m a Gemini and I love destroying my body just as much as I do improving it. Dualism rocks!

I don’t really know where I’m going with this post, so I’m just gonna make it short and sweet. I’m getting in the zone. I’m pumped. I’m like Reebok Pumps in the summer of ’93. I’m like a mashup of Pump Up the Jam mixed with Pump It, with a side of “Pump, pump, pump PUMP IT UP!”. Yeah,  it’s like that.

So when you hear really loud music coming from my JamBox and can’t tell where it’s coming from, take comfort in knowing it’s me trail-jamming the funk out.