The Bronx River Pathway - Shoes

Well, for those of you who don't know, I've been working Jury Duty in White Plains for the past few weeks. Besides my very interesting experience with the law and criminal trials, I also got so spend a bunch of time walking around while waiting for my Mom to get out of work. It turns out that the Bronx River Pathway, which runs continually all the way from Hartsdale to Kensico Dam in Valhalla, passes right through White Plains. I made a point of going and walking on the path as often as I had time. Sometimes I walked up to Kensico Dam and other days walked South to Hartsdale.

On some of the days I covered up to 8 miles in 2 and 1/2 hours, heading to Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla and then back to White Plains. I think this is pretty good, considering my training is just beginning; and I had no real blisters, although I did experience some foot soreness on the bottom of my heel and forefoot. I believe that part of the reason I had foot soreness is because I have insanely high arches: one amongst a long list of things I can curse in my gene pool. I'm hoping that some Superfeet Insoles will help support my arches. 

Also, The walking fool has been helpful once again in detailing the kind of paths I will encounter on my trip. Considering that most of what I will encounter on the Nakasendo will be paved over or smooth dirt paths, I am going to try to find some regular walking shoes with Gore-Tex and tons of cushion in place of my Merrell Chameleons. I think the Merrell's more aggressive tread and increased stability is better suited for the kind of hiking I plan on doing here in Upstate New York, such as the section of the Appalachian Trail in Pawling. On regular paths it feels like there is not enough surface touching the concrete to support the bottoms of my feet. The last thing I want to deal with (after getting lost and blisters) is unnecessarily sore feet. So here's hoping I can get this figured out soon. 

Ian

Distance Walked Past Few Days: 8.4 miles

Total Distance Walked: 19.28 miles

In 60 Days I'll be in Tokyo

It's hard to believe that I will be in Tokyo in just two months. I still have a ton of things to take care of and a ton of training to do. But despite all the work and preparation, or perhaps because of it, I am getting excited for this trip. I have been telling my girlfriend, my sister, my parents - really anyone that will listen to me - how excited I am about this.

 But more than anything, I am motivated by the fact that this will essentially be the first serious thing I've ever done in my life by myself. Those of you who know me know that I've been out of school (graduated) since May of last year, working a crap job that involves me fixing other people's problems for lousy compensation. Sitting there for hour upon mindless hour I didn't simply lament the terrible state of my semi-professional life. I thought about what this year "off" was supposed to be about. It was supposed to be (at least according to my academic advisor!) about me figuring out where I should go to medical school, and perhaps more importantly about me figuring out who I am - that is - the essence of me. 

Sitting trapped in a cubicle wasting hours of my life for minimum wage made me realize that I was also wasting perhaps the one great opportunity I would have in life to do something extraordinary, and to find out a little bit about myself in the process. The truth is that I have always been afraid of doing new things, and especially by myself. That is, until I started sitting in my cubicle. I am looking at the Nakasendo as not only an amazing opportunity to see Japan but also as a chance to experience something powerful on my own.

I keep coming back to a few important quotes that have been stuck in my head recently. The first one is simple: "Be the man you want to be." For so long I have been either going through the motions or just too scared to man up and become the person I want to be. Walking the Nakasendo is a part of becoming who I want to be. As Alan Booth describes what he ultimately took away from walking through Japan in The Roads to Sata, "I think I've learned a bit about Japan and a lot about myself." I can only hope to be so fortunate.

Distance Walked Today and Yesterday: 2.5 Miles

Total Distance Walked: 10.88 Miles

Gear

So it's a little over 60 Days to go until I head out to Japan, and I still need to get quite a bit of gear together for my trip. I'm hoping that this Blog will, in part, help me get organized about both my gear and my training. Whether or not that actually happens is another story. But for starters I'm going to run through a bunch of important things I will need on the way and edit the list as needed. Here goes:

• Backpack: Osprey Aether 70 (Emerald Green)
• Sleeping Bag (3 Season or UltraLight): 
• Rain Jacket (tall):
• Rain Pants (tall):
• Hiking Boots: Merrell Chameleon Evo Gore-Tex XCR
• Boot/Shoe Inserts: SuperFeet Orange
• Sunglasses: Rx Aviators
• Hat: Yankees Cap 
• Undergarments/Base Layers: SmartWool Micro Long Sleeve; NorthFace Flight Series T-Shirt; 
• Sweaters:
• Fleece: Northface Denali 
• Hiking Socks: SmartWool; 
• First Aid Kit:
• Sunscreen/Lipbalm:
• Earplugs:
• Camera: Cannon Powershot
• Maps: Google Map Printouts - Japanese Cartoon Map - Guidebook
• Compass:
• Guide Books: Lonely Plantet, Fodders (?)
• Phrase Books: 
• Pre-Paid Cell Phone: To Rent In Japan
• Swimming Trunks:
• Towel:
• Beer

(Special thanks to TheWalkingFool for calling attention to the fact that I, as a foreigner, will not be able to buy a pre-paid phone in Japan, and rather will have to rent one)

Distance Walked Today: 0 Miles

Total Distance Walked For Nakasendo Training: 7.88 Miles 

The Start Of A Journey

I've set this blog up both to be a place where I can keep track of my training and preparation for my solo walk of the Nakasendo, and also as a place where I can share some of what I've learned with anyone who is interested. For those of you who know nothing about the Nakasendo, hopefully I can teach you something as I myself learn more about the Journey I will be taking in a little over two months. Please let me know what you think and leave me a comment or an e-mail.

Ian