Looking back at my life, there is a series of interests that capture my attention for some period of time and become a semi-obsession with regard to my focus. It is probably a character flaw of mine for which I should seek help, but they typically have some form of intellectual engagement, some involve an activity or exercise, and, aside from being a modest drain on our bank account (for a time), they are not self-destructive. Just for fun, here is a short list of some of these interests in no particular order.
- disc golf
- chess
- backpacking
- kung fu/tai chi
- collecting action figures
- backgammon
- religious debates/philosophy
- astronomy
- woodworking
- politics
- pickleball
- hybrid/electric vehicles
- lawn maintenance (don't look at my lawn for evidence of this one)
I almost added running and biking to that list, and while it's true that I did those things for a period of time, neither of those things occupied space in my mind like these other activities.
Several of those interests have cycled through more than once in my adult life, and a couple of them have remained a semi constant focus (religion/philosophy, pickleball, and politics).
My most recent obsession is hiking and backpacking. My wife and I have been going out for day hikes on the weekends. She has faced a number of health issues and taking short hikes is something active that we both enjoy. An increase in this activity lead me to searching for YouTube videos on equipment like trekking poles and clothing for cold weather hiking. Those videos led to other gear videos for backpacking and camping gear, and before I knew it, I was wanting to get out for some overnight trips and ultimately planning a 223 mile through hike.
Here is a link to information about the Ouachita Trail.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsm9_039448.pdf
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsm9_039448.pdf
The trail winds its way through the Ouachita National Forest and Ouachita Mountains. It is pronounced "Wash-it-taw".
I am going to chronicle my preparation and possibly post about the actual trip.
Why would you follow my progress and planning as opposed to some other source of information? It's true my experience is limited, but...
- My inexperience means I will undoubtedly make some mistakes, but you can benefit from my mistakes
- I am relatively careful in planning, and I do my best to research and do my homework.
- While you can find some information on YouTube about the Ouachita Trail, it's limited. This will be in depth and specific for the OT in Oklahoma and Arkansas.
- Because I'm a nobody, I don't have sponsorships or other commitments to companies. I make no money off this blog. I'm just sharing my thoughts, research, and experience on this subject. No filtered opinions.
I will talk about one more thing here; why do a through hike? This will be a challenge for me physically. I have never done anything like this before. It will require planning and preparation, which I enjoy. Staying the night in the woods is not something I have loved in the past, but there have been some improvements in gear that I think will help make things more comfortable for me (I will talk about those changes in future posts), and I think this is something I will be able to accomplish.
So, I think that wraps up this post. In coming days and weeks I will talk about gear, planning, physical preparation, practice runs, and everything else I'm doing to prepare for this adventure.
Stay tuned for more.
Gavagai
Comments
Post a Comment