Off and Running Toward the Next Adventure

OK, I'm 77. It's just a number right? Well, pretty much, but I can't get my body to do some of the crazy endurance tests I subjected it to when I was younger.

Nevertheless, life is just not right if I'm not planning another adventure. I've had the resources for this idea for a couple of months, but this holiday I got busy about starting a plan. I've already been talking to several of the usual suspects, and a couple of new ones, about possible participation in all or part.

Yes, I'm looking at the Sheltowee Trace Trail in Kentucky and Tennessee. I first discovered this trail in 2019, and purposely hiked a short section of it January 2024 on my trip south. But I want to do the whole thing. And I think I still can if I stay in shape. Other things that are never under my control could derail plans, but that is true of any hike.

Computer spreadsheet itinerary (will change, but you have to start somewhere), FarOut map guide, paper guidebook, first paper map.

Looking at September/October of 2026. 335 miles. Lots of hills. Almost certainly some backpacking and some slackpacking.

I finished Dale Painter's book about his "hiking life" today. Toward the end, he made himself more vulnerable by sharing things that changed, and how he had to adapt. He told honestly about how he experienced an event on a remote trail out west that shook his confidence to the core.

It made me remember some of my feelings leading up to my NCT hike, 2021-2023, and I thought I'd share those here as well. This kind of stuff did not go on the blog entries for the hike. I learned early on that sounding anything but positive and upbeat there led to lots of reactions like "You need to get off the trail," "What do you think you are doing?" "You need to be more careful," etc. I wasn't going to field all those comments, so I quit sharing most of that sort of thing. But it led to giving the impression that I was so tough there were very few "issues."

So here are a couple of events that happened prior to the big hike that made me wonder if I was being a little too crazy to think I could do it.

You may remeber that in 2018 I set out to follow and map the very poorly marked Midland to Mackinac Trail. My plan was to backpack what I thought was a reasonable 12 miles a day. After countless frustrating hours (in that pack) trying to figure out where the heck the trail was supposed to be, and the final blow, a somewhat dangerous following of the blue blazes into the middle of a thigh-deep marsh only to reach a river I could not cross, and then I had to wade back out again to where I last had been on high ground, I switched to day-hiking and usually 10-mile days. (I found out later they changed the trail because of that marsh, but didn't take out the old blazes!!!!) So, I finished the hike, but much slower than planned and not in the way I had desired.

Then in 2020, I planned a 100-mile hike in southern (hilly) Indiana. Because of Covid, even state land was closed for most of the early season. I was finally able to go in June, but jumped directly from local near-freezing temps to days being in the 90s. My body does not like this at all. A couple of days I only made 6 miles. The defining moment was lying flat in the damp gravel beside a nearly dry stream for an hour trying to cool my core enough to hike on even to a campsite. My plan had been to do 15-mile days to see if I thought I could do a sustained 15/day on the NCT- I had decided by then that I was going to try the NCT hike. I ended up only doing 45 miles of the Indiana plan.

In both cases, I had to request change-of-plan help from the people who were spotting me, etc. I don't like doing this. Backpacking requires flexibility almost above all, but I still don't like imposing on folks.

Anyway... I had now just had what I considered to be two complete failures at planning hikes I would be able to complete. I had quite a lot of angst about the NCT plan. About 60% of me didn't even want to tell people I was doing it. The other 40% reminded me that one of my goals was to educate people as to how every piece of the NCT has something special, and if I were going to do that I couldn't keep it secret. Conflicting goals!

Although it's one of the best media interviews with me, ever, I sort of hated that I was interviewed as I went through Yankee Springs. I'd only been on the NCT hike for 13 days and 185 miles- barely a start- I had no idea if I'd be able to sustain that level of hiking for a year.

And yet, I was allowed to complete that entire hike, (just that disappointing break in the winter- but the western UP is unforgiving, and snow came early- I could not stay ahead of it. But I did complete the hike with a slightly altered plan.

I tell Marie that I'm doing denial about ageing. And I pretty much am! But I'm determined to keep hiking at some level for as long as I can walk. However, those of you who call me amazing should realize that I'm no more amazing than you are. I have an Amazing God who lets me take on some big adventures, and lets me complete most of them.

Did some regular work, and worked on this plan in the afternoon. Plus some MORE kitchen cleanup.

See the short hike at the southern terminus of the Sheltowee

Second Verse, Same as the First

We had a nice calm Thanksgiving.

How many people do you see in this picture? How many people do you think are involved in taking the picture? Total is two, right? Joshua did not show up again.

He called later from someone's house because he won't put minutes on his phone to say that he had fallen asleep. (as he did last year, also without a working phone).

Well, Om and I had a lovely meal. The turkey turned out great! I gave thanks for two things that made this meal possible. Mom's wonderful turkey recipe with sausage stuffing, and Dad's sharp knives and the gift of teaching me how to keep them sharp.

We kept the menu simple. Omer and I are both trying not to gain weight. We had mashed potatoes and roasted butternut squash.

And that dessert? Here's the plating. It was almost worth all the work, it's so good. Low carb and moderately low calories for what it is.

And the turkey? Since I don't do this every holiday any more, yes, it's worth it occasionally. Because of the bacon, to keep that moist, it has to be serviced evvery 15 minutes for the entire cooking time.

I did not do anything but cook and clean the kitchen after every mess until about 3 pm, and play my game a little in the short empty spaces. I think I'm going to chill for the rest of the day too.

But. frankly, this is why, if I'm going to cook, I'd rather it be for 10-plus people. Pretty much the same amount of mess and more people can enjoy it.

See Pre-Thanksgiving Madness

Pre-Thansgiving Madness (aka Food Day)

It's really a problem. I don't like to go out to eat hardly at all any more, preferring the things I fix. But as has been previously mentioned (particularly at every holiday), I am lifetime-sick-to-death of cooking.

No matter, the cooking is required if I want to eat these things. Today was nearly a total food day. I shopped. I cleaned and refilled the salad tray. It always looks so pretty when it's fresh, but I promise not to show it to you over and over.

What I did do is make some cookies for Josh because I know he won't like the dessert I made for Om and me. So, I made him coconut cookies, and they are not in danger from the rest of us. He won't see the blog, so he'll be surprised. Maybe he'll even be happy.

Then I made a dessert for Om and me. It wasn't quite as much work as the one in the link below. But it has four layers, and one of them involves cranberries. You'll see the display view tomorrow.

And then the kitchen had to be cleaned up, because of course, I get to jump right back in tomorrow morning to get the turkey in the oven. I got a small one, but the way I fix it (my mom's way) is a lot of work. That process, however, is SO worth it for the yum factor.

Om brought home a tree. It was bundled, and had been for who knows how long.

Now it gets a chance to stretch it's green wings for a few days before he starts decorating.

And just to remind you. There is now a piano back there. We put the tree out far enough that I cen get to the piano. I'm going to dig out the music and try to play some stuff for Christmas this year.

I did some regular work in the morning, but it was mainly a food day.

See Once in a lifetime pie

Caught Mr. White

Completely filled the afternoon with back to back activities. Went to hike in the School Forest and Methodist Church trails. Then I spent about an hour with Betty. Then there was bell practice.

Best picture from the hike? I got a pretty good one of a white squirrel. We have a fairly good size population of them here, but it's still hard to catch a picture. You can clearly tell in this shot that it's not albino (eyes are black, not pink). It's a color morph of the gray squirrel, and it's a recessive gene, so once you get a population, if both parents are white ones, they will only have white babies.

Some websites are calling this a variation of leucistic coloration. Anyway, they are nifty. I would think this coloring would make them more susceptable to predation, but, as I said, we have a good local population.

Did my regular work in the morning.

I hoped to hike 3 miles, but I didn't feel like walking that fast, and it was sort of raining. Anyway, I got in 2.8.

Miles hiked in 2025: 459.9

Ludington School Forest and Methodist Church Trails, various. 2.8 miles

See True Blue Gumby II

Newer, Bigger Shuttlewagon

You know I'm always keeping my eyes open to see the adorable little switcher engine they use atthe Packaging Corporation of America, PCA, in Manistee to move rail cars around. See the link below for a pretty good picture of it.

It's often out of sight, and I don't go past there just every week.

But, looky, looky! They got a new one and it's bigger. It's still made by Shuttlewagon, but it's called the Navigator.

Note that the front is longer, which probably means more motive power, and that there are 8 wheels that run on the rails, while the smaller one only has four.

I suspect, because it can drive right off the tracks on those big tires, that this is kept in storage when it's not actively switching cars which is probably why I don't see it 8 out of 10 trips past there.

PCA is one of the main reasons that Marquette Rail still actively runs to Manistee. And I hope it keeps thriving. The main line is Grand Rapids to Manistee. The line than runs in back of my house is also Marquette Rail, but that is a spur to Ludington for Occidental Chemical.

Today was a bit fractured. I had a meeting in the morning, and cleaned a space for the Christmas Tree (yes, Om is getting in that mood). Managed to get a fair amount of my other things done, but nothing was in a block of time.

See Shuttlewagon