Monday, November 06, 2006

Up to 6 miles!

Never climb up anything you can’t get down…

Rang my route and estimated return time through to my backup team (Mum!) and then prepared to head off. Just before leaving I thought I’d check that the new hydration system was working and spent the next 10 minutes battling with the drinking tube trying to figure out how the blessed thing worked. I was fast beginning to wish I’d stuck to my bottle when I gave the stopper a final tug and was rewarded by an unexpected shower of cold water as I hit gold and water gushed everywhere! Had to laugh – and dry myself down, then finally closed the door and hit the road.

Was nearing the halfway point of my walk when I had a battle with a steep incline of muddy clay and sand which was preventing me from reaching my ‘summit’. Pondering over the dilemma of how to get back down from the top I learned two valuable lessons.

Lesson one – never climb up anything if you don’t know how to get back down!

Lesson two – its not how far you walk (or climb), it’s the experience you have on the way. And if you get to a certain point where you know you’ve pushed yourself to your current ability, but to continue forwards would be to put yourself into a situation for which are not prepared, then why bother? If you don’t reach that summit, marker etc does it really matter if you’ve had a great time on the way, seeing, experiencing and feeling as you go. So, unless it’s going to kill you, learn to say ‘enough’ and enjoy what you’ve already had and know when to turn back. If I had been content to do the same today I would have left that hilltop with thoughts of the view on my mind and not the difficulties I endured by pushing myself unnecessarily, suffering slippery slopes and muddy bottoms in my obsession to reach the top. I know I have already shared with you my dream of walking up Ben Nevis and this is still my goal, but I’d like to think that when I do get there, reaching the summit will not be the be-all-and-end-all, but enjoying its ragged beauty as I try.

Returning home, I was glad to kick off my very muddy boots – but at least they now look like walking boots – and deal with aching feet. The Lowa TC boots are great; lightweight, breathable and offering just the right amount of ankle support, and teamed with the Superfeet insoles my feet were supported and cushioned well on the mud, grass and concrete. The water system was a welcome addition to the backpack. I know I don’t normally drink anywhere near enough water (which I’m working on) and so being able to take small sips regularly without effort meant that I found it easy to maintain fluid levels.

Posted by Admin @ 9:20 am