Reality Checks

For the last few months I have been researching the West Coast Trail. It is a very difficult 77K trail and there have been lots of posts about how this trail can be both mentally and physically challenging.  It takes 6-7 days and the risks include hypothermia, sprains, falls and lots of rain.  So when the weather forecast for our Jacques Lake trail showed 2 days of rain, we figured why not try it.  It was only for one night, so the four kids and I headed out early Friday morning, leaving Mike behind as he was still recovering from his injury.


We had a few bumps along the way, but once we found the trailhead and backtracked to get on the right trail, everything was going well until we were hit with a lightening and hail storm at about the 10K mark.  After removing our stuff and waiting out the storm, we were then back on the trail but that was when the rain started.  It rained constantly for the next 4.4K and the temperature dropped.  We were cold and wet but we set up camp and had a hot supper. We were the only ones at the campground so it was just us on the mountain.  It rained constantly from that point onward and was still not letting up as we headed out the next morning.  We made it back wearing all the clothes we packed, shivering, wet and with cold hands but we did it. As much as I thought that I was prepared for this, I was not.  It was only one night and there were times that I severely doubted my decision and sanity. I wondered why I would even want to try something more challenging than this.


So was this a failure or a success?  There are a few of my kids that will probably say a failure but I think it was a huge reality check and therefore a success.  There were two main things that were obvious that I needed to work on:


1) Mental Preparedness -  Recognizing that I was starting to succumb mentally on this hike was the first step to stop it and reverse it but I admit I was at the point of tears when that happened.  I have had some mental challenges in Kung Fu class but nothing that really hit me like this. Using the tools that we have gained in class did help me overcome this and has made me acutely aware of the mental challenges I still have.  I am not sure how I can improve on this area but I know that I must work on it.  I will start with meditation but any other suggestions are greatly welcomed.


2) Physical Preparedness - Yes I am in better shape than I was but I am not anywhere close to where I need to be.  This is evident in the muscle fatigue in my legs, arms, and back.  Yes we walked 30K with at 25lb pack and then added another 10K over the two days but that is a start, not where I need to be at.  This is easy to fix and that is by just doing the numbers for I Ho Chuan.  It made me look back at my numbers and realize that I am no where near what I need to be at for my PU/SU.  Tomorrow morning is a new day to get them back on track.


Although this was a tough two days, it showed me where I need to improve in my Kung Fu if I ever want to be prepared to tackle my bucket list goal of doing the West Coast Trail and more importantly, what I need to work on for my black belt.  Reality checks are really a good thing if you can learn from them.


See you on the mats!