What’s Next?

When I bump into an old friend or acquaintance, I’m often asked what I’m swimming next. I’ve been swimming open water events for nearly 15 years, but between shoulder impingement and a recently acquired skin allergy to chlorine, swimming has become a struggle. This is a depressing reality when your identity is so closely defined by what you do. That’s just how we are as hoomens (that’s how my dog spells it). We like to quickly identify and catagorize people by what they do, so when you don’t do that “thing” so much anymore, you can feel a little lost.

   

Hiking has helped me broaden my own definition of who I am, and I hope it’s also showing others that we are so much more than what we do. We all play a lot of different roles and enjoy doing lots of different things. For me, being outdoors in nature brings me joy, whether that’s cresting waves in the sea, hiking up the Yorkshire Dales, or just walking through the neighborhood park with a friend, enjoying a Nebraska sunset.

There will come a day when doing these adventures will not be options. We all get older and while I hope to be as physically active as I can for many years to come, I definitely want to make the most of the abilities I have now. I think about this a lot as I’m hiking. Other folks may be stuck in an office cube, or a hospital bed, or maybe without a permanent home. I am insanely fortunate to have the time and ability to do this thing. I’m going to make the most of it!

The Pin-what?

The Pinhoti Trail is next on my bucket list of adventures. It’s the most amazing trail you’ve never heard of, but if you’re curious, just check out other blogs and podcasts about the Pinhoti on The Trek. It’s part of the Eastern Continental Trail (ECT) and the Great Eastern Trail (GET), both long-distance US hiking trails. I’ve completed the 100-mile West Highland Way in Scotland and the 200-mile Coast-to-Coast trail in England (with B&B stays), as well as several hikes in Colorado, but I’ve never done a thru-hike before, and this seemed to be a good one for my first effort.

The 350-mile trail starts at Flagg Mountain in the Weogufka State Forest, Alabama, if your heading NOBO, which I am. The trail goes through several state parks, national forests and wildlife management areas — with quite a bit of road walking, too. The northern terminus is in the remote Jacks River area of northwest Georgia, connecting with the Benton MacKaye Trail. It’s a beautiful area, full of deciduous and pine trees, gleaming lakes, sweeping vistas across the start of the Appalachian mountain range and lots of supportive trail towns just waiting to share their best coffee shops, craft brews and fried catfish and grits!

There are some black bears, but from what I’ve read, not as many as you find further north. There are also snakes, poison ivy, ticks and mosquitos, some loose dogs and a few dry stretches requiring extra water carries. But, these are all things to plan and prepare for, like any decent adventure.

Solo

The biggest challenge for me will be going solo, although I hope to make some new friends along the way. My swimming and hiking buddy just took a new job in Washington State, and it’s hard to find someone willing or able to take a month off of work to go hiking. I’m fortunate to have a flexible job, working part-time for a university research institute. I also provide life coaching, and sell handcrafted skin care products as my side hustles, which I can manage around a hiking trip. My husband is my favorite hiking companion, but alas, he also has to work and someone has to feed our ornery Boston Terrier. Honestly, I’ll really miss that pup! Oops, and of course, my amazing daughter. But, hey, she’s 29 and busy with her own hubby and career.

Although a solo hike ramps up my anxiety, it also offers some important advantages. Most importantly, it’s the satisfaction of doing something hard on your own. Not sure which way to turn? Wondering what made those crunching noises outside the tent? Get a bleeding scratch from a tree branch? These are all freaky moments I’ll have to figure out on my own. And, I will or I won’t! While I am determined to finish this hike, I’m not going to abandon my safety or have a miserable time just to say I did it. I’ll do the best I can, and manage the unexpected, for as long as I’m able to. Then, I’ll head home to the comfort of family and friends!