Sometimes It's Not About The Destination

In my final blog post of 2010 I reflected back on the past year, spoke about some new friends and also set some realistic hiking goals for the new year.  At the start of the 2011 I decided to come up with a theme for the year.  After much thought I decided to make this well-known phrase a 'motto' of sorts: "sometimes it's not about the destination, but more about the journey."


On January 2nd I knocked off a couple of 'firsts' - my first hike ever in the snow, and my first trip to the summit of Dog Mountain in the Columbia River Gorge (on the Washington State side).  I posted some pictures and a trip report here: Dog Mountain Hike, 01/02/2011 (the trail is 7 miles long, with 2800 feet of elevation gain)

This hike was quite challenging for me, not only physically but also mentally.  It had been almost two months since my last hike, and I still have reservations about taking risks with my surgery knee.  The steep terrain and weather conditions on Sunday's hike certainly proved to be a great test.  The ice and snow on the upper half of the trail was, at first, a bit overwhelming.

The conditions were not the issue - it was my mental stress over the possibilities for disaster.  I could slip and twist my knee, or fall over the edge and plunge down the cliffs to my death.  However, as I hiked across the hard-packed snow and ice, my confidence slowly started to build.  I soon realized that the conditions were quite favorable to hiking - below freezing temperatures and packed, powdery snow made for decent traction.  Only twice did I consider putting on my Kahtoola Microspikes to improve my footing.  I ended up not using them at all.  And the cold was quite tolerable, except for the areas where we were exposed to the strong Gorge winds out in open.  Fortunately I had chosen near perfect clothing, right down to my hat, gloves, boots and my new Buff Wool Buff, which proved to be so perfect as a winter clothing accessory that I will probably buy a spare.

Sunday's hiking experience has caused me to feel more confident about winter hiking.  And I discovered that my existing gear will protect me very well when I give snowshoeing a try later this month.

As I work towards improving my physical fitness and fully recovering from surgery I find myself gaining more confidence every day.  The knee pain has substantially lessened, I have lost weight, and built a bit of muscle as well as improved my cardiovascular fitness.  Healing and increased fitness happens slow at my age, though, and I have about six more months to go before I'll be anywhere near 'peak' fitness or '100%' recovery.  Until then, I'm taking on each day with everything I can muster.

And so far it is proving to be true - reaching my goals this year will definitely be about the journey.