new idea motivating me

 

June 21, 2025

I live 12.2 miles from a 75 foot plunge.

On this hobbley, old day it feels the only possible way to get there is by car. But what if I could walk there somehow? The most I walked any day this month was half a mile. But what if I could build my strength to walk out to the waterfall. I’d let my Mom pick me up on the way home.

I live 12.2 miles from a waterfall.

My kitchen table lies 9.2 miles from 3 parking spots at the dead end of a 2 mile headwater road.

My hair is still damp from jumping in a swimming hole 8.4 miles from my laptop.

It’s 7.7 miles to my friends’ house at the start of the road,

My previously mentioned friends have a second house along the way, 3.5 miles along.

One option is to walk some on the mendota trail from where is starts 2.7 miles from my beating hearth.

Blackbird bakery on the fly is a tempting stop, 1.6 miles from home.

My favorite Egyptian/ Italian restaurant exists 1.5 miles from my doormat.

I could describe every small detail of those 1.5 miles with unique precision, but I am certain I could do that segment in one long stretch without need for too many breaks. I walk slowww. It usually takes me some 20 minutes to meander a half mile, but that means I could walk to sit with the Egyptians and easily arrive there in 2 hours.

I would leave on a Saturday because the more rural treks don’t have great pedestrian walking paths, so I would want to walk to a cheap hotel on the way or to my friend’s second house the first day so that I could trod the rural parts on low traffic, Sunday. I am not great about sleeping away from home. I like my own bed. But even if I had to be picked up and not sleep on the actual way, I could be dropped off again in the morning. It might make it feel like more of an accomplishment if I wasn’t ferried though.

What am I rambling on about?

I want to train to walk at least to the dead end of my favorite waterfall road. That means I want to walk from my home 9.2 miles someday, but the sooner the better, because, as mentioned, I need to up my walking abilities. I am hoping to train for this and the longest stretches of my adventure. Approximately 4.2 miles (I think) would be the maximum I would have to walk in a day.

If I end up sending this to you, thanks for reading this. It probably will be the first page of a book with a map and an associated youtube video. My Mom prefers if I walk with other people for at least part of it, but I feel I’ll be fine either way. Let me know if you want to come along!