Monday, April 03, 2006

Random Thoughts from an 8-Mile Hike


From the hunt for Walden Pond to getting lost in an unfamiliar forest, if you've been with me on one of my Nevillian adventures, then you know how frightfully humorous my outdoors excursions tend to be. There's always a good chance I'll wind up lost, or wounded, or both. And yet, always, for whatever sick & twisted reason, I enjoy these adventures. And not just in the "it's fun to tell the story after-the-fact" sort of way; rather, I've learned to laugh at the unfortunate situations that seem to always cross my path. Not to mention, the injuries (aside from those to my ego) are never too severe.

But it's not just a matter of laughing in the face of adversity. As the years pass, I've also developed a bit of the "always be prepared" attitude. If I'm going someplace I've never been, I'm taking (at the very least):

  1. A Map
  2. A Compass
  3. Two 32-oz bottles of water
  4. Energy bars
  5. First Aid kit
Other materials will also find their way into my backpack, depending on the adventure. This past weekend, for example, Washington and I decided to embark on an 8-mile hike recommended by one of his friends. Neither of us had been, however, and so I wanted to make sure we were prepared "just in case." In addition to each of the above five items, I also packed a camera, too many snacks, a change of clothes, two pairs of socks, a hat, a headscarf, an all-purpose knife, pepper spray, Kleenex, a flashlight, hand sanitizer, a pedometer, lotion, eye drops, chapstick, a pen and paper (in case we need to write "last letters" to loved ones), and — yes — even my copy of the Worst Case Scenario Survival Guide (because you never know when you'll be attacked by a renegade bear... in a state where bears are extinct).

Five minutes into the walk, and I realized I was pathetically over-prepared. Not only was the trail mostly flat (no climbing!), but it was five feet wide in some parts... and about 3/4 of it was paved. It was clear of debris, and our risk of poison ivy exposure — even if it had been in season — was slim to none. There were rest pits every 2-3 miles, and the path often came within 75 yards of the nearest road.

I was beginning to feel a wee bit silly when, at long last, Washington asked to use my hand sanitizer ("Why, yes, I'll let you use the Purell which I brought..."). And I was further validated when we scarfed down some fruit snacks I packed... right before he walked over to the concession stand at the half-way point, and bought a Snickers bar.


Others Thoughts
  • Over-preparedness aside, it was a good walk. I never broke a sweat, but my calves felt the distance
  • It was nice to see (and hear!) so many birds... everything from orioles and blue jays to swans, ducks and cranes.
  • Driving a stick-shift is much easier if you remember to let the clutch out half-way before you even begin to hit the gas.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why hand sanitizer?

thirdworstpoetinthegalaxy said...

Only way to clean your hands after a trip to the, um... "pit."

What I want to know is... why two pairs of socks? And why the useless survival guide?

I can't answer those questions. And I'm the one who packed them.

Anonymous said...

You packed them because they seemed like a good idea at the time. If you had needed them, you would have wondered why you left them behind. Why the Snickers Bar when you had snacks?
-BPP

thirdworstpoetinthegalaxy said...

I wondered that too... but I didn't pack any chocolate, out of fear of a meltdown (unlikely given the chilly weather), and I guess a Snickers just sounded better than Oats n' Honey granola.

Mollie said...

I remember that trip to the elusive Walden Pond...damn big pond that hid from us. I don't recall that any of those thoughtful items you packed would have been any help. But, had you brought you backpack on that hike through mosquito alley near the Blue Hills we may have had a more pleasant experience. Not that it wasn't fun, but it was rather miserable there for a while. I think you should add to your emergency kit a book of poetry. You never know when you might need one!

thirdworstpoetinthegalaxy said...

*chuckles*

That sounds like an oxymoron: "not that it wasn't fun, but it was rather miserable there for awhile."

Funny but true.

As for Walden: if we'd had the flashlight, perhaps we would've known — with absolute certainty — that the field wasn't a pond at all?

Yeah, during the summer and early fall, bug spray is now a must (I even carry it with me on bike rides). And I only had a small bottle of water with me when we got a wee bit "unfound" in the Blue Hills. I was sharing that, too... 16 ounces of water for two people — over the course of hours — in the middle of a hot summer. Believe we each drank a gallon of water once we found civilized life again.

Mollie said...

He he. Yes, that snow-covered field did really look like a large pond. I just remembered that we went swimming in Walden Pond. Was that the same day as the mosquito alley hike? The waitress at that restaurant must have thought we were insane: sweating, exhausted, sunburned with visibly swelling insect bites ordering water and icecrem...those were the days! You will have to prove your new preparedness to us out here. I know a great place to go for a hike along the CA coast. Will Aunt Nevie make an appearance?

XOXO said...

I would like to add that the misadventures I've excitedly been a part of have also made me a bit less likely to leave the lunch pack in the car so we can "just hike up to the summit." Honestly though, wasn't that water the best tasting water you've ever had? As for the "field." I still think it was the pond. Thank goodness we eventually did find it.

thirdworstpoetinthegalaxy said...

I've never enjoyed a glass of water as much as I did that day.

Though, in retrospect, I'm surprised that drinking a gallon of H20 so quickly didn't make us sick. Though I guess we took more time after the first couple glasses...