Slow Going, A New Crowd, Walking

Post date: Jun 14, 2016 10:46:30 PM

Today, Monday 6/13, hiked from 816 to 834 over some rough miles. I started early and plodded along making frequent rest stops. So far the leg is doing well- better than expected and well enough to do 18 miles today as long as I go slow. Before I averaged about 3 mph, now 2. I hope to be able to continue at a minimum 15 mile per day average. My buffer of extra days has decreased dramatically so I won't have the luxury of taking very many off or "zero" days now if I am going to make it to Katahdin.

I'm now mixed in with a whole new group of hikers. Today I met Red Wing from Vancouver, Cheeks from England near London, Argonaut, Sihi, Elf, Signpost from Boston, Go Go Gadget, and others whose names I forget.

It's good to be walking again. Early man is estimated to have walked 20 miles daily as they hunted and gathered.

Hippocrates called walking "man's best medicine". Thomas Jefferson- "of all exercises, walking is the best. William Wordsworth was said to have walked 180,000 miles in his lifetime. In the early 20th century as the automobile made its debut, walking became less common prompting the Saturday Evening Post in 1912 to write "Real walking is as extinct as the dodo". Walking, especially in the forest, is restorative.