WalksWithBlackflies
New member
I got a really stupid idea in my head on Friday... instead of driving to my father's for Sunday dinner, I'll walk. After all, it was only about 27 miles. On Saturday, I planned my route:
House to Old Erie Canal State Park: 3.0 miles
Old Erie Canal towpath - Minoa to Wampsville: 16.5 miles
Old railroad beds - Wampsville to Sherrill: 7.5 miles
I planned a good route. I was a little worried about access along the railroad beds, but I only had to divert to nearby roads a couple of times. Although the route planning was good, the route conditions were actually TOO good. No snow, and perfectly flat. I maybe climbed 50 feet... maybe. Although the Old Erie Canal towpath was well groomed, the mind-numbing monotony was enough to test the strongest soul. The railroad beds were a welcome change of pace.
The problem with this hike was that every footstep was exactly like the others. The ground was frozen, so it was like walking on concrete the whole way. I had worn my relatively-stiff winter boots, and found myself not rolling over my heel as I would in a normal gait, but walking "flat footed". Trail running shoes would have been a much better option. My right foot started bothering me at mile 12, but it was fine by mile 14. I could feel a couple of heel blisters forming, but they seemed pretty insignificant. My knees got progressively worse with each new mile. Having to walk on asphalt/concrete when I was diverted from the railroad bed only added to misery.
It took me 8 hours to hike the 27 miles, excluding 45 minutes for breakfast in Canastota. About one hour after finishing, I couldn't bend my left knee. When walking, I had to put my weight on the small, but painful, heel blisters. I pounded 2,000mg of Vitamin-C to help my knee ligaments, but six hours after finishing, I still couldn't bend my knee. I pounded more Vitamin-C before going to bed.
When I woke up this morning, my knee felt OK. Not great, but OK. My right ankle feels like it's been compressed an inch, and I've got a headache. Would I do this hike again? Probably not. But I learned two things:
1) I can complete a marathon, on a whim, in less than 8 hours.
2) Don't do a marathon on a whim
House to Old Erie Canal State Park: 3.0 miles
Old Erie Canal towpath - Minoa to Wampsville: 16.5 miles
Old railroad beds - Wampsville to Sherrill: 7.5 miles
I planned a good route. I was a little worried about access along the railroad beds, but I only had to divert to nearby roads a couple of times. Although the route planning was good, the route conditions were actually TOO good. No snow, and perfectly flat. I maybe climbed 50 feet... maybe. Although the Old Erie Canal towpath was well groomed, the mind-numbing monotony was enough to test the strongest soul. The railroad beds were a welcome change of pace.
The problem with this hike was that every footstep was exactly like the others. The ground was frozen, so it was like walking on concrete the whole way. I had worn my relatively-stiff winter boots, and found myself not rolling over my heel as I would in a normal gait, but walking "flat footed". Trail running shoes would have been a much better option. My right foot started bothering me at mile 12, but it was fine by mile 14. I could feel a couple of heel blisters forming, but they seemed pretty insignificant. My knees got progressively worse with each new mile. Having to walk on asphalt/concrete when I was diverted from the railroad bed only added to misery.
It took me 8 hours to hike the 27 miles, excluding 45 minutes for breakfast in Canastota. About one hour after finishing, I couldn't bend my left knee. When walking, I had to put my weight on the small, but painful, heel blisters. I pounded 2,000mg of Vitamin-C to help my knee ligaments, but six hours after finishing, I still couldn't bend my knee. I pounded more Vitamin-C before going to bed.
When I woke up this morning, my knee felt OK. Not great, but OK. My right ankle feels like it's been compressed an inch, and I've got a headache. Would I do this hike again? Probably not. But I learned two things:
1) I can complete a marathon, on a whim, in less than 8 hours.
2) Don't do a marathon on a whim
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