Five Weeks

Yep, I leave for Nepal in five weeks. It's starting to seem real. I get my shots this week. I have my Nepalese visa. I got my new pack, a Granite Gear. I also bought a new pair of hiking boots since mine are not up to the challenge.

This morning I decided to take said new pair of hiking boots for a break-in hike. Nothing too crazy, just a couple miles in Redwood Regional. New boots, new socks. (No first aid kit, either, see where this is going....?) I'm out there for a while and I'm feeling some burning on my heels that lets me know a blister is wanting to happen. I undo my shoes, rearrange my socks and hope for the best while heading off on another loop. (Note to self: this would have been a good time to head for the car!) I have my ipod and am hiking along. The friction is getting worse.

"Don't add suffering to your pain." This Buddhist inspired thought ran through my had. Scratch that, it became my friggin' mantra. The friction turned into fire. Just Breathe, Jen. Except that only works for so long. When the fire turned into a stabbing knife, I stopped and took my boots and socks off again. Well, that explains the pain, I thought. There was open, exposed raw skin about the size of two quarters on each foot. One still had a bit of protective skin flap on it, so it hurt less. The exposed one was the massive "sensation".

Did I mention I didn't have a first aid kit? Did I mention that I'm a Wilderness First Responder so I know how dumb it is to not have one? Right. I looked in my bag for something to help get me out of this mess. Score! I had a banana! I carefully wrapped strips of the banana peel around each heel. It was comfortingly cool. It also provided just enough buffer that I could get back to the car, maybe another mile or so. I took off, wincing, and moved (hobbly hiked?) as quickly as I could.

I am pleased at my resourcefulness in the face of my own stupidity.

These boots have some issues to work out if they're going to Nepal.