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I have been going over the hike in my mind for some time, over and over again. What happened, what went well, what not so well? How can I make it more of an enjoyable experience next time?

First, what did not go so well. I got of trail, did not finish. Not going to say I “quit”, I’m not done. I got off trail for a number of reasons, first and foremost was a night of breathing issues. It was not the only reason but, as I said before, it was the straw that broke the camels back. I have a history of lung issues, and with the altitude and smoke I though it was the correct decision, still do. I also still regret it, it bugs me, could I have gone on? I’ll never know and, what’s done is done.

So not breathing well on that last night was the final reason I got off the trail but there was something else. A greater underlying problem that I could not understand. I was not having fun. After much reflection, and some Googling, I believe that an overall fatigue was putting me into a mental state that was not great. No fun, not stopping to smell the roses, lonely, just wanting to get the miles in and to the next camp site, it all built up and was the opposite of what I intended to do. I fell into a trap, miles, miles, miles, keep going. I tried, mentally, to force myself into a better state of mind but it wasn’t working. What was causing the fatigue? Physically I was up to the tasks, my muscles were not sore at all. I was just tired..

I thought about this allot and I think it came down to two things, nutrition and rest.

Nutrition was a problem and it was easy to see after I got home. Some tell me it was easy to see in my blog pictures, I was getting too skinny. Once I got home I did not weigh myself for several days, letting my body stabilize with rest and normal food. Then, I stepped on the scale, OOPS! I had lost seven pounds in the last nine days on trail! That’s crazy! How on earth did this happen? I had planned everything, estimated calorie burn, what foods to bring for said calorie burn, what the heck! Turns out my initial planning was pretty correct but, I threw that out the window after a couple weeks, OOPS!

The planning of food, or should I say calories, is critical. You need enough calories to hike but you need to keep the weight of what your carrying as low as possible. So, you want to carry enough but not too much. Food weighs allot, my planned food for five days on trail weighed 20 pounds. That is the same as all the rest of my gear combined! I estimated that I would need 5000 calories per day. I would be home for re-supply at the end of each of the first two weeks so, decided to experiment with only 3000 calories per day. I weighed myself before and after each week. Did not lose a pound, great! I did think that it was odd, should have been burning way more than that but, it worked. I decided that 3000 calories per day would work. Someone, who shall remain nameless (Cherie), thought that it was not enough food but my experiment said it would be. She was right. After the first two weeks I then headed out into some more challenging terrain and no support, I would not be back for awhile. After 9 days I got off off trail and had lost seven pounds, no not a bunch of “water weight”, seven pounds that stayed off for awhile. Since then I have done a bunch of research and my initial estimate of needing 5000 calories per day were correct. How did 3000 per day worked the first weeks? I have no clue. Probably the rougher terrain and higher altitudes were a factor. So, how to fix this? Not as easy as you would think. I really need to keep weight of the food down yet carry more. What I discovered, something I missed the last time, is that I need to pay attention to calories per ounce. This time I’ll be shooting for having nothing in my pack less than 120 calories per ounce. A lot of fats and dried stuff, calorie density is the name of the game.

The other part of the equation that I messed up, not enough rest. I was putting too many miles in and not resting enough. Hikers you see online regularly put in more than 20 miles a day but they are generally much younger, in better shape and, more experienced. I planned to average 10 miles a day for the first few weeks and would slowly build up to more miles. Started out that way but it also went out the door in short order. My body did not feel sore so I tricked myself into thinking I could do more miles. In reality I was just building up an energy deficit. Just didn’t recognize it. Had plenty of time to do the trail, no rush. But, in the last nine days I did not have a single rest day. Should have had one or maybe two. I had planned a rest day in Twin Lakes but only one night was available at the hotel, so no rest day. I should have, as Cherie suggested, hiked to the nearest campsite and taken a day off just camping and resting. Yes, she was right again, and there were some real nice spots just four miles from the hotel, Ug! So, how fix this? It is not just making sure I get in a rest day at good intervals, a.k.a. better planning. It is going fewer miles in a day, resting more during the day. At times’ I saw hikers napping near the trail, that’s what I need to do, chill. It’s hard for me, four decades of work, house, family with little chill time. Probably why I like cruises so much, I did learn how to totally relax on them, just need to learn how to do it on the trail. So, next time, more resting, chatting with others, also bring my ear buds to listen to music or podcasts. More chill time.

That all being said I can’t wait to get back on the trail. Doing my best to work out and keep my body ready, research food, how to sleep better, and trying to learn how to relax.