So on Day 3 of this adventure I managed to cover 7.9 miles and that got it in my head that 8 miles is a reasonable goal for each weekend. Then on Day 5, I came to appreciate how much of a factor the elevation change of the hike plays into my endurance. I felt like I damn near had a heart attack that day when I covered 6.5 miles with over 1,000 feet of elevation gain. So you think I’d scale it back a bit and be more sensible and reasonable with my plans. Nope! I’m gonna go ahead and try and do another 8-mile hike with 1,000+ feet of elevation gain. If I can follow this plan, then I’m done with the 4,000’s and can move on to another area in the Blue Hills. Plus, while I say this is a 6-month challenge, I am really hoping wrap it up by the end of August before the kids head back to school. On top of all that, the final rationale for continuing to push, is that a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail has been on my bucket list since I was a teenager and this whole challenge is a first step on trying to make that dream a reality. Hiking the AT means being able to cover about 15 miles a day while carrying as much as 50 pounds on my back. So shooting for 8 miles with just a 10 pound daypack is a very necessary stepping stone.
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