Taking Chances

Many years ago, while a young man in high school I decided to become a basketball player. At the age of 16, I had plenty of catching up to do. Just to get to a level where I could compete with my peers was a huge undertaking. My family was poor and couldn't afford to send me to basketball camps in the summer. I had no training equipment at home, except for a basketball and a road bike. So I had to get creative, and I had to work very hard year-round.

At one point during my junior year of high school I came across this quotation, and I found it to be so inspiring that even today I draw strength and courage from it:

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt

Fast forward to the present.  For over a year now I have been hard at it again, but now my passion and obsession is hiking.  Strength training, stationary biking, road biking, strenuous day hikes in steep mountain terrain, and a big change in my eating habits has yielding some positive results.  I've lost nearly 30 pounds, and I feel great.  My energy and endurance levels are better than they've been in about 20 years.  I still have some nagging, troublesome medical issues, but I'm not letting those keep me off the trail.

Now the time has come for me to put all that hard work to the test: next weekend I plan to attempt the loop hike of both Elk Mountain and Kings Mountain in the Oregon Coast Range.  Nearly 11 miles long, with 3700 feet of elevation gain, this trail is rugged.  Many hikers use this loop as a 'training' hike to prepare for mountain climbing.  I've never done this loop in its entirety before and I admit, I am a little intimidated.  The last thing I want to do is risk injuring myself, especially at this stage.  But the time has come.  I will summit Elk Mountain and Kings Mountain both in a single day.

This loop hike is very popular, and hikers from all over the area do it on a regular basis.  So for the average hiking enthusiast it isn't such a big deal.  But for me, it is a major undertaking.  If you'd asked me a year ago if I would ever attempt to summit either of these mountains, I probably would have laughed and said, 'No way!'

I have a couple of friends who plan to join me on this hike.  Both of them have inspired me, in different ways.  Through my interactions with the members of the Portland Hikers forum I have found plenty of encouragement, inspiration and motivation.  The trip reports and photos posted on that forum by its members are a constant reminder of how blessed I am to live in such a magical place.  Oregon and Washington have some spectacular wilderness to explore, and I plan to see as much of it as I am able to - up close and in person.

For next weekend's hike I plan to take my time and just enjoy the moment.  There is plenty of new trail up there that I haven't explored yet, and there is also some danger.  A steady pace and careful foot placement should bring me safely back down to the safety of my truck.

When I get home, there will be a 22oz bottle of Full Sail Old Boardhead Barleywine Ale waiting for me.  But I have to earn it, first.  I see this hike as a major test for me.  If I'm able to clear this hurdle, I will consider myself fully recovered and fit for just about every other hike imaginable.

But... what if I fail?  What if I am unable to finish, or I get injured?

If the worst happens, at least I will have given it my all.  As an athlete that is what I've always done.  Even though my skills as a basketball player were average at best, every time I hit the court I gave it everything I had.  I never let my opponent get an easy shot, and I contested every rebound.  The ball was MINE.  Of course, at first and especially in my high school days, I failed quite a bit.  Starting a sport at age 16 was very difficult, and I lacked the aggressiveness and experience to excel.  Later as a young adult, and especially after my time in the military, I finally reach the point where I knew how to focus and be the aggressor and occasionally dominate. 

But next weekend, all I need to do is finish.  One step at a time.  And I'll have my buddies there to encourage me.  'Giddy' would best describe how I feel at the moment.  I am ready.