Marathon – Fox AT Thru Walk – Day 54

Today was my first “marathon” day, 26.4 miles. I think coming back from an injury it would be fair to ask myself why I push. Why not just do 15 mile days? Time. At the end I have a difficult stop. Also, there is a clock that tells how long I can be away from my family. It’s not a strict limit, but my heart pulls me. And every day carries the risk of something that simply forces me to come home.

Time. Weather and injuries are the things most likely to send me home. They must be balanced with each other. Balance is not simple mathematics. It is neither simple nor obvious. It’s not just a matter of listening to my body either. The injury I sustained didn’t warn me, but I walked on my injured ankle for over a week while it healed.

The day started and ended with a big climb. The climb up to the cow camp gap was tough at the end of the day, but it was worth it. The views of the meadows after the cow camp were incredible. If I had more water, I would have camped. When I went down I looked back and a sign said that you couldn’t camp in the meadows. I missed the sign that was coming. So maybe it’s a good thing it needed water. Hog Camp Gap is a spectacular campsite. There are tons of good places.

• Breakfast: Oatmeal with blueberries, almonds and chia
• Lunch: Foil-wrapped chicken and pretzel sticks
• Dinner: Knorr pasta, foil-wrapped chicken x2, oyster crackers
• Snacks: pretzel sticks, kodiak breakfast bar, stroopwafel x4, power crunch bar, rice crackers
• Known today: Mojo

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