Stairs

Hills are rare around here. Flat land walking has nothing on mountainous trail hiking elsewhere. My best option when I can't walk hills are stairways at work. So when ever I have an opportunity to, instead of using the elevator, I use the stairs. Six flights up or down. I find down stairs is tough and I have to take it slower, due to the strain it puts on my knees. I'm fine with the upstairs. Add to the self imposed challenge of getting my stock unpacked and shelved as fast as I can to get my heart rate up for a couple hours at a time, a walk on lunch break outside around the hospital, and that is my normal daily exercise, although I do go for walks at home too. I am trying to sneak in ways to burn more calories and build more strength and muscles.



"Without wilderness, we will eventually lose the capacity to understand America. "
-- Harvey Broome (Co-founder of The Wilderness Society)

48 minute walk with a small pack on.

Weather was pleasant, not too cool, not too warm. The path was wet and muddy but not enough to be a mess. Mosquitoes were bad. The morning started out with a light fog but that soon lifted.

Critters seen include grey squirrel, ground squirrel, woodpeckers, a stray tortoiseshell cat.

On the AOTM website PCT webtrail, I have passed the first marker- "The majority of thru-hikers (those who hike the entire distance end-to-end) begin their journey near the Mexican border in the spring, and end on the Canadian border in the early fall. Hiking in this direction allows hikers to negotiate environmental conditions such as snow, runoff, and intense heat. In Southern California, the biggest concern for hikers is the temperature, which can range from 80-100°F. Springs and seasonal water sources begin to dry up in April or May, and the distance between water sources increases. Other challenges in this section of the PCT include flies, poison oak, and rattlesnakes."

Quick 45 minute walk today.

Using the America On The Move web trails, I have just left Campo CA on the PCT.

From the AOTM website: "Campo, California is a small town located only one mile from the U.S./Mexican border, and marks the southernmost point of the Pacific Crest Trail. Clinton C. Clarke, a successful oilman and avid Boy Scout, dedicated much of his life to preserving the area now known as the Pacific Crest Trail. His initial plans began in the 1930s, and after many years of hard work and millions of dollars spent, his vision came into being. In order to form the trail, which runs from the northern border to the southern border of the United States, Washington’s Cascade Crest Trail, Oregon’s Skyline Trail, California’s John Muir Trail and the Tahoe-Yosemite Trails were linked together. Clarke’s goal was to incorporate the best scenic areas while preserving the area’s natural wilderness."

On my walk I ran into 1 deer, 1 woodpecker, lots of small birds, 2 people on horseback, and a man with his dog.

Walt Whitman's Song of the Open Road from Leaves Of Grass

AFOOT and light-hearted, I take to the open road,

Healthy, free, the world before me,

The long brown path before me, leading wherever I choose.


Henceforth I ask not good-fortune—I myself am good fortune;

Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,

Strong and content, I travel the open road.


The earth—that is sufficient;

I do not want the constellations any nearer;

I know they are very well where they are;

I know they suffice for those who belong to them.