Some people have wondered why I haven’t posted much relating to hiking and camping lately. I have focused Monday largely on permaculture, symbiculture, gardening, etc. This isn’t because I don’t love hiking, because I do. The problem has been not one of failing interest, but one of sentiment.
You see, since moving to Texas, I haven’t been able to hike or camp at all. In this particular area, the hiking opportunity has been somewhat slim and I am very poorly adjusted to the local temperatures. With enough water, I could of course still go hiking, but I have felt no desire to. Even in the winter it is far too warm for comfortable sleeping and distance walking most days.
I hike for fun and relaxation. A sweaty walk in the blazing sun followed by trying to sleep soaked in sweat and panting aren’t either. Short term as part of a longer hike, sure they are something to be endured. As the entire experience, they lack appeal to me.
So why does that keep me from writing about hiking? Well, to be honest, it just feels disingenuous to write about hiking while I am actively avoiding it. I fully expect that once I am in a place where the weather is something other than blazing and where there is more to see than scrub daily, I will probably right back in to regular trips again. When that happens, I will surely begin talking more about hiking once again.
Until then though, I only write sparingly as thoughts of it arise. What brought it to mind today was having two friends who were a part of my 2006 Appalachian Trail thru-hike finishing the Pacific Crest Trail. One has already finished and the other will very shortly. Both did it as a thru-hike and both started their trip in the deep south. Technically they started in Mexico if we are measuring it honestly.
It got me thinking about if I would do well on the PCT. Would I make it through the first section? As sensitive to high temperatures as I am, could I get through a very long desert and extremely limited water supplies? I can’t say. I know I could manage the colder sections if I could get past the rough start. Two other things would stand in my way. First is that the hardest part of the AT for me was when there was a slow incline. Almost all climbs on the PCT are slow rather than steep. Second is a promise I made to my wife after finishing the AT.
Either way, it has me thinking a lot about hiking and camping and I wanted to at least talk about those topics again. When life allows me to resettle, expect to see several articles about things like backpacking, long distance hikes, camping and general trail information. Even now I have considered a few topics that would be fun to read and not make me feel disingenuous. We will see. Anyway, until then, I hope you continue to enjoy the site and are learning things of value to you.
