The advice “take a deep breath” was very much on my mind today. Throughout the whole day I found myself pausing and taking a deep breath, seemingly to exhale away my cares and concerns as the moment nears to begin this journey.
After my first thru-hiking expedition in 1975 I could comfortably feel “been there, done that” with each new adventure I tackled. Sure, the Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail and Continental Divide Trail are all different from each other, but hiking long distance was hiking long distance. I knew the essentials of what to expect.
The feeling I have now is similar to the feeling before my first expedition in 1975. For the first time since then I’m continually wondering “am I really up to the task?” I’ve been as meticulous as I can be in the planning, but there has been so much more to plan for than simply the logistics behind putting one foot in front of the other in all kinds of terrain and weather for many months.
We are told to take deep breaths to calm ourselves, to ward off panic. People who know me can vouch I’m not really prone to panic. I take things in stride. The constant deep breaths today were not so much to calm myself as to resolve each doubt. I’ve done what I can in the planning; the time has come to simply do.
