A two week frenzy

  Gear, it was all about the gear.

  Though I had previously prepared for a hike, 24 years had passed. Hard to believe it had been that long. Many of the hikers I traveled with in 2012 were not even born at the time.     

  I still had most of the major gear, my backpack and sleeping bag. A stove, though it was top of the line when purchased, had become a relic on the trail. It was the smaller things like socks, gloves, a new pair of boots, tent, and thermal underwear I was after.

  Ebay, what a wonderful place for a last minute, gear buying, frenzy from around the world. I ordered many of the things I thought were lacking in my set-up. Sent off hundreds of dollars to many people and was starting to get excited about the upcoming trip. The best purchase, by far, a pair of boots from a relatively recent competitor in the market.

  Now, every hiker will tell you, that you need to make sure your boots are broken in and comfortable on your feet before you start such an adventure. I had two weeks, waited for 5 days before they were delivered, and living in northern Ohio, had no mountains to test them.The small town of West Unity, Ohio is located in middle of corn fields. Hundreds even thousands of acres of flat as far as the eye can see. If you are not from the area you would not even know the place existed. I lived in town, my sister just three miles away, a “Rails to Trails” project between us, The Wabash Cannonball Trail. I gathered what gear I had, packed a few extra pounds to compensate for the things I was missing, and managed to get a whole 12 miles on the Hi-Tec Cascadia Event boots before I left.

 There is something to be said about life in a small town, any little thing will never go unnoticed. Though my family had been in the area for decades, all it took was a little bit of hiking gear to catch the attention of the local law enforcement. When you don’t fit the normal farmer look, of course you will be questioned. Now that I think about it, my pack was rather large, I’m sure I looked like a long lost vagrant coming off of the old railroad track. Thirty minutes of conversation with the man I used to serve coffee and doughnuts to, a quick search on the officers computer, and I was free to go. I wondered how many misconceptions, based on appearance, were ahead of me.

 Now, the another consideration for my hike was the fact that I was in middle of putting drywall in the house. Having no idea just a few days previously I would be leaving, the house was a wreck. A single man living alone can be hazardous enough, add to that several years of interior construction, and you have something only a single man could live in. I called in as many favors as I could to get the remaining drywall up. I had 2 weeks to get my bag packed, get the work finished and get all of my belongings put away. A mad dash of shoving everything in the garage. I offered my friend the use of any of my household objects, I sent my important paperwork off to friends and family, in case I needed them later in the hike. I was moving things of mine out, of my friends in, and still trying to come up with an itinerary for my trip. Mind you there was the couple of 3 mile hikes to my sister's house and then another 3 miles back to prepare for the hike itself. So many things going on I barely had time to think. Luckily I found the original paperwork from the first time I planned my hike, and that is the schedule I went with. A plan that was nearly a quarter of a century old, untested gear, and a dream. That is how my hike was to begin.

A great video on self exams that every woman should view can be found here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsyE2rCW71o