In the past I have criticized people on social media who
posted their Strava rides/runs/walks way too frequently. I told everyone who
would listen I had stopped using the app to clock my every movement, as I felt
it was yet another method of virtue signaling that corrupted the original
intent of the activity.
Then I signed up for the Round the Mountain 2019, a
three-day hike of the Timberline Trail on Mt. Hood. I did it last year and
suffered greatly. I want to do it again this year and suffer less, so I
installed Strava to clock my longer walks so to become accustomed to journeys over
10 miles.
Last Saturday I had the wife drop me off at the Wildwood Trail
where it intersects at Germantown Road. The road distance to this point from
home was 9 miles, so I figured a few miles more would be total hiking distance
back. After a few hours of walking I realized my mistake.
I had adequate food and water, the weather was perfect, and
I could have bailed at many points along the way. Podcasts and playlists made
my journey pleasant for most of the distance.
I expect academics and serious amateurs to give me crap for
being a Strava-obsessed maniac, ruining the outdoors with tech and earbuds –
but, hey, it was one awesome day.
Stoke!
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