I’m usually near the back of the pack when I’m walking in a group. Probably average speed on flat ground, slow going up, and very slow coming down. That’s just how I roll, or more precisely, how I try to avoid rolling.
Anyway, did the Wednesday walkers group thing yesterday. Six others of which I was the oldest and slowest. In the past this group differed from the Hash in that there was a “no man left behind” ethos, periodically the group would stop and wait for stragglers to catch up. Not so yesterday.
That kind of pissed me off. Part of my motivation for doing the Wednesday thing is to have some camaraderie. The other is the safety factor–I’m just uncomfortable being alone in the unknown wild with no support should something go wrong. If I’m going to be alone on trail, I want to be choosing the trail. Yesterday I was left to fend for myself coming down the mountain. And sure enough I slipped and fell. Only a cut and some scratches thankfully, but it underscores why you don’t want to be without a hiking partner should the worst happen.
Anyway, I’m thinking maybe I’ll just forego joining the group henceforth. I’ll still walk of course but I’ll do so within my comfort zone. Unfortunately, that means I’ll miss seeing new places and enjoying new vistas.
The other thing that is hard to achieve on my own is pushing myself to the edge of my level of endurance. On my own most days I’ll do around 20,000 steps. Yesterday with the Walkers I did this:
I guess we’ll just wait and see how I feel come next Wednesday.
Changing gears, I found this funny as hell:
Oh, and I won the darts tournament last night which is always nice.
And that’s the latest from Barrio Barretto, Olongapo, Zambales province, Republic of the Philippines. Thanks for checking in!
We need to get you reading hiking guru Colin Fletcher, a crusty Welsh-American who was a dedicated solo hiker. Fuck that buddy-system bullshit. Heh.
By the way, logic check:
“Only a cut and some scratches thankfully, but it underscores why you don’t want to be without a hiking partner should the worst happen.
Anyway, I’m thinking maybe I’ll just forego joining the group henceforth.”
Am I reading this right? You’re miffed about being left behind because the buddy system is safer and provides camaraderie… so your solution is to hike alone on Wednesdays?
Hey, put down the axe. I’m just yanking your chain. On a more serious note, maybe talking with the guys about what happened, and how you felt about it, will lead to a return to the ethic of “no man left behind.” Maybe they simply forgot on that day.
Anyway, that problem aside, congrats on the darts win!
I’ll end with a typically harsh quote from Fletcher:
“But if you judge safety to be the paramount consideration in life, you should never, under any circumstances, go on long hikes alone. Don’t take short hikes alone, either — or, for that matter, go anywhere alone. And avoid at all costs such foolhardy activities as driving, falling in love, or inhaling air that is almost certainly riddled with deadly germs. Wear wool next to the skin. Insure every good and chattel you possess against every conceivable contingency the future might bring, even if the premiums half-cripple the present. Never cross an intersection against a red light, even when you can see all roads are clear for miles. And never, of course, explore the guts of an idea that seems as if it might threaten one of your more cherished beliefs. In your wisdom, you will probably live to be a ripe old age. But you may discover, just before you die, that you have been dead for a long, long time.”
This guy was a badass. I have his The Complete Walker III.
Haha! I can always count on you to set me straight (or try to) when I ain’t quite right in my thinking. Thanks for that, Kevin!
Yeah, upon reflection it of course makes no sense to walk alone because in the group I wind up walking alone. My main idea was that if I choose the trail I’m less likely to get into trouble.
But then again, as Colin Fletcher makes clear, what’s the point of playing it safe? The idea of joining the group in the first place was to explore new trails I wouldn’t otherwise find. They can still serve that purpose.
That quote was really quite inspirational. Thanks for sharing! It reminded me of another book I read (can’t think of the author right now) entitled: “Feel the fear and do it anyway”. A self-help tome I purchased when I was first contemplating an overseas retirement ten years ago.
Thanks again, I can see (more) clearly now.
Colin Fletcher was one of my inspirations for doing the big walk in 2008. Great writer, very no-nonsense, with an obvious love of the outdoors. I’ve never read anything other than his The Complete Walker III (which I highly recommend), but at some point, I’ll likely buy some of his other works.