We Are Going On An Adventure: An Obscure Little Blog About Walking

“The road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the road has gone, and I must follow, if I can.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring. A hoy-hoy and welcome back!!! As I have mentioned previously, I love The Lord of the Rings and have read the books several times. So, when I chose to write a blog on walking/hiking, my mind was automatically drawn to The Lord of the Rings: Hobbits asked to make an epic journey with no clue of what they were doing and ending with them pretty darn good at walking. LOL. Plot lines explained poorly, right? You are probably wondering what the heck we are doing. I know. I know that I have written about camping and such, but, what most might not know, is that I really like to walk, outside. Before Moose, I used to workout indoors on treadmills and such (love you and your videos, Billy Blanks!!). After Moose, I started to walk outside and brought him with. This did require some clothing adaptations such as: number one – you are outside and people can see you and number two – you need to dress for the weather! I am not a professional. I am just some girl, who likes to walk and has trials and tribulations. And if my mistakes and clothing breakthroughs help you, then this was worth writing, even if it is for one person. LOL! Without further adieu – my obscure little blog about walking. 

History – I’m not much of an active person; I like to read, play video games, and write. However, I have always worked out, I have to, I love to eat and drink too much not too. LOL. Throughout high school, college, and my first year of marriage the main sources of my exercise routine included the treadmill, elliptical, and my beloved Billy Blanks video tapes. Now that I am writing this, I remember dabbling in walking outside our apartment, and then across the street at the local elementary school’s running track because I could never rely on getting a machine at the apartment gym. When we moved into our house, I had my old treadmill brought over, but still dabbled in walking outside occasionally. I feel that it should also be noted that once a year, we would also hike at Turkey Run State Park while camping for Memorial Day weekend (a tradition The Husband and his friends had started). Enter Moose. As mentioned in other posts, Moose required socialization and activity as he was three or four when The Husband found them and activity assisted in creating a calmer, happier Moo. So. I started to walk him at the house. Traffic increased, so I moved our walks from the house to the local fairgrounds… and history was made. We walked almost everyday for 45 minutes to an hour, even Grandma Linda (my mother-in-law) joined us most times – especially when we were all training for our Disney World vacation (we typically walked 8-10 miles per day while on vacation at Disney). With people or not, Moose and I walked nearly every day, summer, spring, fall, and winter. Yes, winter. That was Moose’s favorite season as he was a double-coated dog and seemed to run warm, LOL. Therefore, Moose and I would be out in the freezing temps (yes, -10 degrees) and snow – only him and I and another girl with her Husky. We would give each other the wary nod as we waddled passed each other dressed up like Ralphie’s little brother, Randy in A Christmas Story. Now that we have Calliope, I am keeping this walking tradition alive, not only because she too, is a puppy and requires the exercise but because I simply love to get out and move. Now that I have expounded on my “working out” life, I will go into my clothing and the evolution from working out in my house in my underwear to walking and hiking outside – decidedly not in just in my underwear. LOL. 

Let’s Start with Something Funny – Have you seen the meme that states (something along the lines of) “easy there, ultra hiker, my five year old daughter just completed this trail with crocs on while holding her headless Barbie doll?” Well, The Husband, our friends, and I were the five year old daughter back in the day. We would be hungover, wearing jeans and any old shoes we had with us (usually old shoes we didn’t care about in case they got dirty) and with no clue what the trail would hold. One particularly hot Memorial Day weekend, we were especially hungover from the night before, and that was the occasion our friend decided to take us all over the most difficult trails with the most stairs and ladders ever… known to mankind. It was brutal. LOL. However, we were in our twenties and therefore invincible, and well, we did it. (And on a side note, pretty certain went back to camp and drank some more, ah, the good old days) LOL.  

Warning! Once you start walking outside, you will snub most indoor exercises. You have been warned. 

The Evolution of My Clothing 

I know, exciting, I’ll give you a minute to recuperate from the excitement. Take your time. Okay! Enough of story origins, now, onto how I started and slowly, oh so slowly evolved my clothing to help me be more comfortable while walking or hiking. 

Pre-Moose and The Moose Ages

Comfort was the name of the game back in the good ol’ days (that’s right, I said that). LOL. Comfort because I was no longer working out in the climate controlled apartment or house, but at the mercy of Mother Nature. I’m not sure about the rest of the country, but here in the Midwest, we have the most bi-polar weather; we can have all four seasons in one damn day. Therefore, layering is typically the key; but here’s the thing, I hate to layer. Why? Because you have to do something with the outer layers that you have shed; it’s just annoying. So, most of the time, I would wear shorts and a t-shirt or tank top (usually a t-shirt). My walking attire was typically whatever I had on that was comfy, never thinking about materials or what I was wearing. It just needed to be comfortable. Are we seeing a theme here? LOL. 

When we lived in the apartment, I either walked around the houses by the apartment on the sidewalk or I walked across the street at the local elementary school’s track. A lot of people liked to walk there, so I found myself walking there more frequently. However, there was no shade – which meant, it could get very hot. I don’t specifically remember what I would wear, but I’m sure it was my longer shorts or even pants and a t-shirt. HOT. Why did I, do I wear longer pants or shorts? I have what are called “Thunder Thighs”, which I have (now) affectionately named Thunder and Lighting. Sounds funny, but the problem with Thunder and Lighting is that very similar to their owner (me, that’s me) they like to eat a lot, especially shorts. Therefore, I would wear either jeans or longer shorts. Yes, jeans, in the dead-ass heat of summer.

Anyhoo, I continued this when we moved into our house. Again, I would work out in the house, but also walk along the road in front of our house. And yet again, I found myself walking the hottest part of the road because there was NO tree coverage! I did this route for the next 5-6 years by myself and then with Moose. When the county re-did the road, Moose and I couldn’t safely walk that side of the road. By then, though, we were already spending most of our time walking at the Fairgrounds. The fairgrounds had both shade and no shade, however for two to three weeks every year it is closed to walkers for The County Fair. So, Moose and I then walked on the other side of our road… which, was amazing! Not only covered by the trees, but in the winter, shielded from the brutal winds!! Either way, my clothing didn’t change too much. As I got older, I cared less about what people thought about my body and started to wear tank tops in the dead heat of summer (I know, scandalous of me), but I still wore my longer shorts and leggings that came down to my calves. I wore those a lot. 

Winter With Moose – I mentioned in the Canine Camping blog that Moose was a double coated dog and LOVED the cold. LOVED it. So, when temps would get down to into the negatives, Moose still begged to go walking, and I needed to layer up. I had a pair of baggy jeans that I layered with thicker workout pants. Two pairs of socks, a t-shirt, a sweatshirt, and my winter coat along with a scarf, mittens and a fur lined trapper hat with ear flaps that I stole from The Husband. Walking the fairgrounds, I was good to go! LOL. We didn’t walk our usual five miles, but it was enough for Moose to be happy. When we started to walk the other side of the road our house was on, I was actually able to pair down to a sweatshirt and sometimes a lighter jacket due to the tree coverage. 

In general, with Moose, we walked between 3-5 miles per day, five to six days a week. With that amount of walking, I did notice that I needed better shoes. I believe that was the first thing I upgraded in my walking attire. Before I seriously started walking outside, I used to wear and love my Sketchers (or any cute gym shoes on sale at Walmart). After I started my “serious walking” I switched over to New Balance. I like how they sit with you, measure you, and make sure your gait matches with the shoes you are purchasing. I even purchased and loved til the day they died, their flip flops. Oh my dear flip flops how I do miss you. You supported me not only on my daily walks with Moose, but got me through an entire week of Disney World at 8-10 hours per day. That’s right, I wore those suckers everyday at Disney and never had an issue, in fact, my feet stopped hurting after I started to wear them! I even took them on a hike out East. They were seriously the best. Then, alas, they died on me; out of no where!! I’m still grieving, in case you can’t tell. Currently, I have a pretty snazzy pair of orange New Balance that I get a lot of compliments on!

Hiking Boots – And no. When I can, I wear my gym shoes. For Alaska, I purchased a very good (and expensive) pair of hiking boots. I hated them. I wore them and even though they hurt my feet and back because they were so expensive, but, I am apparently truly from the country and do not enjoy having my ankles supported. In fact, I and my body hate it: we are fancy free and will not be bound by your societal constructs of shoes! LOL. Sigh, good times. As a side note, my mother-in-law gave me her pair of hiking boots and I really like them! BUT, they have lower ankle support similar to a gym shoe – AKA – freedom for my ankles! 

Enter Leggings – Can I say that when they first came out, I thought they were stupid and a fad that would go away quickly? Can I also say that the last several years, they are all I wear. All the time. Yeah. Then, they made them better! Moisture wicking and with pockets!! WITH POCKETS. I don’t purchase leggings if they do not have pockets. I love them. They are comfortable, they don’t rub and cause chafing or blisters, and, did I mention that they have pockets? Very slowly I traded out any other pants I had previously worn for my leggings and have not looked back. LOL. 

Calliope

New shoes? Check. Better pants? Check. I’m about halfway there! LOL. By the time Calliope was rescued and we began to walk, I had half of my apparel upgraded to items of clothing that made walking more comfortable for me. However, the biggest change came in hiking or bike shorts (also with pocket, thank you very much). They are stretchy, so Thunder and Lightening do not attempt to eat them: they sat in place, but allow the cooling comfort of shorts. Finally, a pair of shorts I can wear comfortably. Now. Was I a little self-conscious because they were so tight? Yes. But honestly, the benefits outweighed the cons, so, I use them and now have three pair! I love them and to me, this is the biggest change to my apparel. I was ready… however, another person came into our lives around the same time as Calliope, and she really changed the way The Husband and I thought about walking/hiking and our apparel. 

Enter Miranda and REI: Again, watching the YouTube for camper videos which lead to camping videos, which lead into hiking videos which lead us to Miranda in the Wild, a YouTube video sponsored by REI. My first question was: what the heck is REI? A vague memory floats to the surface of my mind: mom and I walking along Halstead St in Chicago (for my yearly neurologist appointment for migraines), we come across a place call REI. We walk up, see a rock climbing wall and automatically turn around: rock climbing is not for us. LOL. Now, there are many people on YouTube that are great for beginning hikers or backpackers. We enjoyed Miranda in the Wild (now Miranda Goes Outside) because she is very relatable. All of this can be overwhelming: base layer, shell, outer? What?! She breaks these terms down for you and more if you are interested in getting into backpacking (The Husband is, I am kind of not, but I enjoy watching her reviews on different camping gadgets and clothes). This lead to checking out the REI website and her favorite clothes list on their site. This helped me to see there are specific trail walking pants and socks and more shirts to help not only in the cold, but also in the sun.

New Knowledge – Did I mention how much I like to dress to be comfortable? I do. This wasn’t always the case, as it tends not to be when you are young and trying to impress. Now, though, I strive for comfort. This is not only in my everyday clothes, but my walking attire as well. However, I have learned that for walking or working out, there is a different type of “comfort” to be had. I have always gone for baggy clothing. However, as I have switched over from jeans and baggier shorts to leggings and biking shorts (with pockets, hahaha), these items of clothing are, of course, tight fitting. I was skeptical, but honestly, I love them. Because they are tight fitting, there isn’t room for the cloth to rub against my skin and cause blisters (which would sometimes happen with my loser clothes). Funny Story: Had a pair of shorts that were very comfortable, however, as I lost weight, they became loose. If I didn’t have anything in my pockets, they stayed up and on my body. Unfortunately, as I was walking Moose, I placed my keys and and cell phone in the pockets and promptly almost lost my pants. LOL. So, tighter is better when walking. Also, they began to rub and chafe on my thighs.

For Fall and Winter when the temps are cooler, tighter fitting tops are better so that you can layer more effectively under jackets and coats. When everything is closer to your body, you can insulate better. More air equals more cold air. I’m not a fan of tight fitting clothes, but this does help when it comes to warmth. And honestly, for even Summer, with the hotter temps, I am starting to understand that wearing tighter fitting clothing avoids rubbing and chaffing. I’m still working on using more tighter clothes (give me time LOL), but the older I get, the less I care what other people think. LOL. 

1980’s Baby’s Note: I’m going to take a second and write a note for us women who were born in the 1980s. LOL. As most of us experienced growing up during this time, the media applauded what was considered back then as “heroin chic”, especially in the 1990s where seeing one’s ribs and hip bones was “in style”. 

I have always struggled with my weight, as all women – well, actually, all humans do. We look in the mirror and think that we are not good enough, however, the more YouTube I watch, the more “real people doing real things in life” I see and experience. This is influential not only for me, but for our young ones as well and teaches all of us that every shape and size can do and wear whatever they want without fear of being shamed. For example, on one of the episodes of Miranda in the Wild, she brings her friend Pam, whom I absolutely love, and I love seeing the two together on hiking trips, one is on a beach where Pam, who is heavier, takes off her sweatshirt to comfortably wear a crop top in the heat. Many of us would still not have the self-confidence to do that however, as I have said, the older, I have gotten the more I just don’t care. In fact, I just bought a bathing suit top that I truly think I can wear on hotter hikes, especially when we go to the dunes. I hope this didn’t get anyone down, but Pam had mentioned something similar on that video which, you can watch here! And it honestly, struck a nerve with me and stuck with me. We did go through this and quite honestly, I think we turned out pretty darn tootin good! 

The Future

As with any story, this one will be constantly fluctuating and changing. Which, I think is a good thing! We cannot grow without change! The Husband and I have decided that this year (as we were trying to do last year) we want to talk more trails on weekends he has off. I want to take Miss Jones on more walks at the fairgrounds. I want to challenge myself on different trails and experiencing new things, all the while wearing comfortable clothing while also being more mindful of the weather and temperature (which, I have forced to do with Calliope, especially in the Winter months). I really hope that my working out/hiking/leisurely walking trial and error adventures have not only entertained you, but also help you! In all, get out there, enjoy nature or your neighborhood, and use that as an excuse to purchase more clothing!! Muwahahahaha!! 

“This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected.” – J.R.R. Tolkien

Get out there and create your own unexpected adventure!