Day -28 : I Was Made For This

Less then a month. I wake up early and I am out learning a new route through my new neighborhood. The air is warmer, not because of my new location but because spring has come. The air is filled with the with the fragrances of all kinds of blooming trees and shrubs. I've been told that the Sacramento valley is one of the worst places on earth for those suffering from hay fever and allergies to all things pollen. I don't seem to have that susceptibility at this point so I breathe in deeply. The moon is brilliant in the deep blue early morning twilight. Little bunnies hop nonchalantly from my approaching footsteps. My tread is soft. The soles of my soles have just about worn through. I have just the mid-sole left under the balls of my feet making for a soft, almost slipper-like step on the concrete. The bunnies seem to know that Ian no threat, as they don't try very hard to escape being near me.

The flurry of activity that has been my moving life for the last few weeks is finally winding down somewhat. Just in time to pick up for my last minute preparations and final trip plans. Our new place is three stories and it seems that everything that I am looking for is always either one flight up or one flight down. I have been doing a ton of stair climbing. That combined with my early morning walks should keep my legs toned and ready for the trail. 

As I think with anticipation on my upcoming trip I feel excited and filled with curiosity as to the adventures and unforeseen situations of the future. I consider what I currently spend the majority of my waking hours doing and project to a different routine in the near future. My current livelihood requires a significant amount of thought and concentration. I come home from work exhausted and tired from the amount of thinking I do in a day. In less than a month I anticipate do no less thinking but rather adding to it by being physically active eight to twelve hours per day. Hiking an average of about twenty miles per day for five months. That will be my new job, my day, my life. I find it to be epic when I think about it. I've never attempted anything so grandiose in my entire life. In imagining the dirt and sweat, the bugs and snakes, rain and stifling heat, drought, thirst, clammy wet clothes in the rain, snow, wind, and the extreme effort it will take, I feel a sense of 'I was made for this.' There are no second thoughts, no regrets, no changing plans, anything but to move forward would feel like a disappointment.