Day 103.

(Yeah, I'm starting at day 103. What of it? Plenty of stories pick up in the middle. Be nice, or I'll go all George Lucas when I fill in the prequels.)

391 lb this morning, down from 437 on February 3. (And 446 sometime in the dim mists of January.) This, it should be noted, represents a loss of a bit over 10% of my starting body weight.

But that's not the good bit today.

Today I passed what was for me an important test. I filled up my backpack with most everything I would need for an overnight and went on a day hike. I didn't track distance carefully, but at about the 4.5 mile mark I had a choice to take an easy, shaded last mile back or a longer, sunnier route that involved a climb of perhaps 80 to 100 feet - Ponderosa height - on a trail I'd never walked before.

I took the hard way. And it was fine. And after I was done, I did a bunch of errands and chores and still have energy left over for writing this damn blog I registered months ago.

This may not sound like much if you're an experienced backpacker or hiker or a basically fit person. But for me, this was pretty big.

First, the pack: I weighed it when I got home. Pack weight came in about 36 pounds. In a full overnight I would have been carrying more water and food and clothes, for an estimated total of 45 pounds. But the important thing here is that the pack at that weight was entirely comfortable. I anticipate no problems adding another 10 or 15 lb for a real overnight on distances up to six miles per day. This was my second real test with my pack, the last was over a month ago with 28lb and that had only water ballast rather than real overnight gear… and that test was only 3 miles, over easier terrain. I felt a lot better after this test than after the previous one.

Second, the limiting factor for my distance seems to be sore feet. Not fatigue in the legs, not general cardio fatigue, but plain sore feet. I think I had another couple miles in me when I finished today's loop. (At Tumalo Falls a couple weeks ago I was *very* footsore after 7 to 8 miles.) And sore feet, while obviously a problem, is something I can address. My Red Wings are pretty short on cushioning so I've been considering some inserts anyway.

Third, the confidence. I didn't balk at the optional hill into the unknown. No one asked me to take it - indeed I was alone on this outing - I just decided that I needed to push myself harder, and I did. And it was fine.

How did I get here? Where did I start? More in the coming entries.

But there's no magic. Just a better diet, and taking the fat man for a walk.