Walking Update

Well, I wrote in January that every morning each of us is faced with a choice, and either or choice to get better or worse. There is no staying the same. You don't, life doesn't and certainly time won't. And with that I started walking 5-6 miles a day last October from 2-3 days a week to 4-5 days a week through January and into early February.

Well, as life teaches us, too much of one thing has a price and cost, and for this it was my body, namely the legs with shin splints which have long plagued me for periods in the past for running too often, blisters on the heal of both feet, and black toes, those problems where the toenail lifts, bleeds underneath and forms a scab which eventually comes off with the nail.

Yeah, one of the toenails is near the time it will lift off. The other two are weeks away. But the body and work reduced the walking to 1-2 days per week. I'm slowly increasing it again as the shin splints are gone for awhile, the feet get taped now to avoid blisters, and the toenails get taped to protect the toenails. Kinda' keeping the sports tape company profitable.

But I am remembering the goal to get back to running, which is doubtful until later this spring after my cardologist agrees, and get back to hiking in Mt. Rainier NP. As you know there are very few trails in the NP which are relatively flat or with little elevation gain in or out of your destination. I only know of two longer day hikes which fit in that catagory.

Those are the Westside Road from the intersection of Highway 706 to the bridge over Fish Creek and the climb to Round Pass, about 3.5 miles one way, and the Carbon River trail from the NP boundary to Ipsut campground, about 5 miles one way. All the other hikes are short, more tourist focused ones, usually a mile or so round trip.

Anyway, that's the update, and all I say now is, as the saying goes, "Feet, don't fail me now." I hope to do my first hike within a month, always my favorite opening trail to get my hiking legs back, and yes, it's the Westside Road hike. Always a joy, but then Mt. Rainier NP is always a joy to be there.