Friday, July 31, 2020

Back and Forth, Back and Forth, and a Decision

Back and forth, back and forth! With COVID19 in the mix, my friends decided a couple month ago they would not be doing the TRT. They didn't feel safe flying. I didn't either, so I began planning a drive, which I would do with only stops for gas and for camping. But recently, with California getting worse regarding COVID-19, that didn't seem like the best idea. And now California is basicallly shut down again, so I made a good choice not to go.

So I was looking for multi-day hikes near me. There are many! Everything was up in the air for weeks. I'm pretty comfortable with that overall, but it's starting to get to the point where I need to make a decision. So here it is!

I've continued to work on my fitness. But with everything closed for so long, most of that has been through the Peloton app. I've been spinning, doing body weight strength training, lots of stretching, and walks. I've gotten a few hikes in, but probably not as many as I should have.

I still plan to do the entirety of the TRT... hopefully next year. That'll give me more time to plan and be really ready for some big days. Hopefully, my friends would then be able to join me. But this year I'm planning to do a small portion of the Superior Hiking Trail in Northern Minnesota. I don't have time this year to do the complete 310 miles so I'll likely do a very short section and focus on the fact that it'll be my first time backpacking solo. Which section is still to be determined. This will also allow me to spend some of my vacation time with family.

We'll be taking a road trip to get there. We'll have our food with us so no need to stop for that on the way. We're also camping, so no interactions with people. The only stops that may involve people will be gas. We're still figuring out the bathroom, but are comfortable with copping a squat wherever we can while leaving no trace.