Is This The End - Or Just Beginning?

Over the past 20 weeks I have gone through a wide range of emotions and experiences, as detailed in my last post. Tonight I asked myself a rather interesting question: have I arrived? Or is this just the beginning?

At a scheduled orthopedic doctor appointment this week I was given some interesting advice. Dr. Andres told me that while the repaired ACL in my knee has likely healed, the muscles that support the knee have not yet developed enough for me to consider myself fully recovered. The doctor recommended that I exercise caution over the next four to six months. According to his assessment, I am ready to try some light jogging, and not much else.

I didn't tell my doctor that I'd already been on five day hikes. I didn't tell him that I had successfully completed a 9-1/2 mile hike in moderately steep terrain without too much difficulty. I don't know why I decided not to tell him what I'd been up to lately. But his assessment has prompted me to do some thinking. I feel very confident about hiking with the ACL brace, on decent trails. I am always very careful. Over the years I have developed a method of hiking that maximizes my safety while minimizing the effort required. I step around obstacles instead of stepping over or on them whenever possible. I take the path of least resistance on trails. I do not take risks by stepping in places where the footing is questionable unless there is no other choice. I always use two trekking poles so I have three points of contact with the ground at all times.

This week I also took a snowshoeing class at REI. The class was just a basic introduction to the sport. Much of the information presented was not new to me, especially the trail safety related discussion. I did learn a few things about different types of snowshoes, and some of the methods used to walk in snowshoes. I suspect that what I've heard must be true - if you can walk, you can snowshoe. But my orthopedic doctor has me wondering if I'm ready to try snowshoeing yet. I might wait until next year, maybe mid-January or even February before I give it a try.

Already since surgery I have hiked some moderately rugged trails, and covered distances I never would have thought I'd be hiking at this stage. My knee is gaining strength, and the pain is gradually lessening over time. But this line of thought is what led me to ask myself, "what is the end goal?"

My renewed enthusiasm for the sport of hiking and my drive to get in the best shape of my life have kindled a new desire in me to set some lofty goals. At this point I have no desire to tackle rock climbing, mountaineering, or similar activities. But I do want to set a reasonable hiking goal for next year. Tonight I decided that my goal for 2011 is to log 201.1 trail miles, by either day hiking or backpacking or snowshoeing. I think it's a goal I can meet. In the past two months I've hiked about 30 miles on five outings. To meet my goal I need to average less than 4 miles per week. I could conceivably cover 10-15 miles per day whether I'm backpacking or just day hiking, depending on the terrain. I think this is a reasonable plan, especially if my recovery continues to progress and my fitness level continues to improve.

201.1 miles in 2011 is my goal. Wish me luck! Oh, and to answer my original question: this is definitely just the beginning of a long journey.