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» Approaching Departure
November 23rd, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving, my American friends! Happy November 23rd to everyone else! On this Thanksgiving Day, I have a lot to be thankful for. I'm thankful that I have a job that lets me take two weeks off to travel. I'm thankful for a family that supports my traveling. I know there are many people who cannot travel due to personal constraints such as financial, physical, or legal limitations and for that, I'm thankful for being able to travel. Last week I tested my hiking gear by attempting to walk from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica Beach following the famous Wilshire Boulevard. The footslogging was organized by franklinavenue.blogspot.com. Although I had hoped to complete the 16-mile trek, blisters on my toes and heels ended my walking journey in Westwood, just about three miles shy of the goal. I completed the journey to the sea by hopping onto a bus. It was such a wonderful feeling watching the sidewalk go by at 45 mph after walking close to thirteen miles on it. "Are you on a journey or preparing for one?" asked a passenger in the bus. What an interesting question. "Both, I suppose." I responded. If I wanted to philosophize about it, I might say to you that I started my journey close to 31 years ago. I could say that, but I won't. I'm getting over a head cold so I'll reserve my thoughts on the Meaning of Life for some other day. My illness is just one thing that has caused me to lose my grasp on time. With how occupied I have been with work, it is hard to believe that I begin my Nicaraguan journey in a week. It gives me the shivers to even write it. This will be my first major backpacking journey since Peru & Bolivia in 2004. Am I ready? It's hard to say. I feel that I have most of the equipment I want to bring. Maybe even a little too much. My urban adventure across LA last weekend taught me that preparedness is the key to happiness for this trip. In a hurry to get out the door that Saturday morning, I forgot to pack two things that I believe lead to my angry feet: Moleskine bandages and good socks. I somehow thought that just one pair of $2 socks would be good enough. Not only should have I worn better socks, I should have brought more than one pair. Lieutenant Dan said it best in the film Forrest Gump: "There is one item of G.I. gear that can be the difference between life and death: Socks. Cushioned sole, O.D. green. Try to keep your feet dry. When we're out humpin', change your socks whenever we stop." When I was out humpin', I had to stop bandage my feet twice with cheap band-aids. With each attempt to ease the pain, I had to slide my feet into wet socks. When I finally reached Santa Monica, I found that my socks had started to disintegrate around my big toes. But what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right? I'm going to make sure to concentrate on finalizing my packing list in the next seven days. Maybe this time I can pack my backpack perfectly - one where everything I need to bring is the same as everything I want to bring. For photos of my pedestrial pilgrimage, click here. Thanks for reading, |
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