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[pct-l] Re: thoughts while walking



To respond to Joanne's question about what one thinks about... I tend to be
addicted to auditory input - radio, mostly, or books on tape.  On the trail
I found that I alternately daydreamed, worried about various twitches &
aches & pains & wondered which body part was going to blow out next and
whether my husband was worried about my state of mind (the trip was largely
my dream; his attitude much of the way through Calif. was to make damn sure
I succeeded - even when I wanted to change my mind or stop & read for a
while.  But he didn't tell me this - just got anxious & consequently made me
anxious too.)  (We finally got over that...) The trail shouldn't be about
anxiousness...
But I'd find that words & phrases, ideas for stories & books would float up
out of nowhere.  Songs I hadn't heard in years floated out of memory.  (some
got REALLY annoying...) One of the things I really wanted to do was to
memorize poetry - something I've done in the past but didn't get to xeroxing
anything before the trip.  My husband & I do go back & forth with a few
poems - Jabberwocky, Kubla Khan, Ozymandias....(THAT's an eclectic mix) and
for some odd reason I sometimes recite Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Swing."
Probably because I memorized that one in third grade...
I think the trail is ideal for having a small rotating collecton of xeroxed
poetry at your belt.  But don't let it all be "input."  It's amazing what
the rhythm of the walking does to the mind, if you let it.  Also, the
training walks you're doing will have more boredom associated with them
because you're still in the pre-trail phase & the terrain is familiar.
You'll be fine - sounds like you're on the right track.  One thing I
personally wouldn't do is to have books on tape - not just because of the
weight factor, but because of the addiction & consequent isolation from my
surroundings.
another thought - find some REALLY LARGE paperbacks of classics - and then
cut them into sections, same as the guidebook.  I got through Les Miserables
that way without having to carry a 1.5 lb paperback!  (enjoyed it, too...)
Okay, enough for now...
Christine

Portland, OR  (for now)

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