A Walk Too Far

Thursday, Michelle and I wanted to attend an evening event in town, so I decided to walk into Haines in the afternoon.

I’ve done it once before. That day, I’d loaned my car to a friend to take some people to Canada for a rafting trip. Someone from the group was supposed to drive the car back to Mud Bay, so I had to walk the whole way—I couldn’t accept any rides, because I needed to flag this person down as soon as I saw our car. I had so many offers, and turned them all down, walking about 7 miles from where we park on the roadside to town (not counting the initial 1 ¼ mile hike to the road from the cabin).

I figured someone would pick me up for sure this time. I’d get a decent walk, and catch a ride before I got too tired.

What I didn’t take into account is that I’ve walked very little lately, while recovering from the flu. So, it was a little harder than I expected. Nevertheless, I listened to an audiobook as I hiked, (see Voices in My Head) and the miles seemed to fly past. At first, anyway . . . .

No one stopped to offer a ride! This included several people I know. I wasn’t hitch hiking, and I walked on the left side of the road, proper for a pedestrian, but also a subtle indication that I wanted to hike, not ride. Even so, I’d done this the previous time, but that had not prevented people from offering me a ride.

Finally, about 2 miles out from downtown, my leg muscles had gotten quite sore. I called Michelle, and she drove out to pick me up.

I’d pulled the classic American “Weekend Warrior” blunder, pushing myself way too hard after a long period of inactivity. I’m rather embarrassed to have done so.

After sitting at the event that evening, my muscles seized up. My neck even got stiff! I limped hard by the time we crossed the bay. I found two sticks at the trail head and used them like canes to help me get home.

Last Christmas, we got a pair of Fitbits®. The next morning, I checked the dashboard. I’d walked over 9 miles. I also discovered that if I’d only hobbled an additional 260 steps, I would have “won” a 20,000 steps badge!

So yeah, I’m bummed.

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