Hi Friends, Family, and Blog Followers.
So, two weeks ago our team had our longest hike before we hike in Utah. We were on the GreenRock trail which is absolutely beautiful. Our goal was to complete at least 12 miles in order to be prepared for the 10.7 mile hike we will be doing in Utah. With the altitude we will have in Utah a little extra mileage is about all we can do to help prepare. Much to my surprise I have been the speediest one in our group. Hiking I can typically do about 3 miles per an hour (while I'm fresh...after mile 10 I have found my speed exponentially drops). I ended up getting quite ahead of the group on this particular hike and putting in about 3 extra miles so my total at the end of the day was somewhere between 14 and 15 I believe. It was a great hike, but by the end of the 11th mile I was hurting. My feet felt like they might break in two. I wish I was exaggerating. All of my gear has been great, except for my shoes. Much to my team's dismay I have not returned them to REI even though they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee. I don't know, something about returning shoes I've worn 8 times and are caked with mud just doesn't seem right. Anyway, with 14 miles under my belt, I guess I now have no excuse to not do a marathon. This hiking adventure has definitely increased my confidence in my body's ability, which I am so thankful for. If you remember back to my first post or so, the fact that I would be the fastest one on my team and could hike 14 miles without much trouble would have been unbelievable to the Abby of Winter 2009. I'm not bragging, just shocked and thankful. I really and truly appreciate all of you who have helped to make this experience possible for me financially and mentally/emotionally. I am excited for the hike and can't wait to share about it when I get back. If you haven't donated yet and would still like to there is time. I am $225 away from meeting my goal of $3,600. Just visit my fundraising site at http://pages.teamintraining.org/gat/zionpark11/ahowardzwv. Thank you again!
Not all who wander are lost,
Abby
