How to Adventure II: Setbacks and Steps Forward

Field Notes II.XIX: Overcoming adversity in preparation for backpacking and adventure

Welcome to Field Notes!

First, an update. I set a challenge for myself, to expand my adventure capability and to earn some basic credentials as a backpacker. This was to thru hike the 77 mile Foothills Trail in South Carolina in 5 days. I’m proud to say that I accomplished this from May 5-9, under some of the most adverse storm conditions I have ever camped in.

I’m working on the story, photography, and film of that journey now. But, in addition, I came out of the experience with an enormous amount of lessons learned! I’m still reflecting on a lot of it and will share it in this series in the future. Today, I would like to write about a (hopefully) helpful topic that led up to this trip.

In this series is I intend to be very responsive to all of you and your input. I get notified of all of the comments to these posts, but as a reader you may not see others’ comments unless you keep checking back. I would like to take a moment to respond to some of these comments to help clarify what I wrote and so that we all may learn. You may like to check out the previous issue here-

How to Adventure I: Theory and a Baseline

First,

Craig Guillot

commented that adventure might not need a purpose. He writes “the best ones are typically unplanned with no mission or goal.”

Despite writing that we need a mission for our adventures, I can agree with this statement. This can be a very lighthearted and freeing way to explore. What I was trying to address in the previous post is inertia, when the grind of the day-to-day becomes prohibitive to seeking adventure. Under these circumstances I believe we do need a mission just to drive us out of the front door on adventures.

Next,

Gill Moon Photography

wrote that her adventures are on a much smaller scale than mine, but no less important.

I am writing here mostly about backpacking because it is what I enjoy and want to push myself to do more of. My hope is that some of this is universally applicable to any type of adventure or exploration. Smaller, local adventures are perfect, especially considering that there is a lower threshold for getting involved and a much higher chance that we will actually do it. Nature is universal and the same truths I find in the wild exist in our own backyards. The important part is to go explore, witness, and pay attention!

Finally,

Niki Elle

, a very experienced thru hiker, looked at my 2023 pack weight breakdown and observed that I could save a lot of weight with a lighter backpack.

I’m looking forward to upgrading packs and when I do I will be asking Niki for input. My pack is a reliable workhorse, but almost 20 years old. Part of the pack weight listed in my gear overview included a second chest pack that I wear a lot. This is incredibly useful, but actually relatively heavy. For now due to cost mostly, I am focusing on smaller gear upgrades and by leaving the chest pack at home I did save some weight. I’ll do another gear breakdown in the future.

Overcoming Adversity

Pop! An unexpected hill sprint situation, and on the first step I feel a piercing pain in my right calf. I can move the foot, but it is too painful to place weight on it. The physician assistant at the orthopedist emergency clinic thinks it is a strain, but orders an MRI to be sure. I tell him fine, but I need to heal this before my thru hike of the Foothills Trail. I have 10 days.

How much are you willing to suffer for your passion? How much will you overcome to pursue your adventure? Listen, you guys. These are personal questions different for all of our circumstances. There are no wrong answers, but this is something worth considering. For me, the answer is quite a lot. Planning this mini expedition took a lot of effort and I did NOT want the opportunity to slip away from me.

Of course, I want to make clear that the following is NOT medical advice. It is for your consideration and further research. I was assessed by a medical professional who was confident my injury did not require surgery. Having said that, I’d like to illustrate how I was able to overcome an injury that I was told would take 6 weeks in 10 days.

RICE. Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Almost all of us are familiar with this protocol for musculoskeletal injury. I avoided this almost entirely.

The RICE protocol was first promoted by Dr Gabe Mirkin in 1978 in his publication “Sports Medicine Book.” However, since that time numerous studies have shown that ice and rest may actually DELAY the healing process. There is enough evidence of this that in 2015 Dr Mirkin recanted his position on RICE. The medical field has been slow to catch on.

It turns out that, due to complex interactions within the body, healing requires inflammation! Imagine that! The natural processes in our bodies that have evolved over millenia to keep us alive actually know what they are doing without modern intervention!

I did elevate my leg a bit that first evening. But, without ice or anti-inflammatory medications, I spent time moving my foot through its range of motion, just to the point of pain in the calf, and then backed off. I did this throughout the evening. I also increased my protein consumption as much as possible. Injured humans require more protein.

After some solid sleep, the next morning I could walk. It was an ugly, unnatural limp, but I could do it. I avoided exercise and did not force it, but gently stretched the muscle and worked on range of motion frequently.

The following day was even better. Concentrating and moving slowly, I could walk normally. I still did no exercise, but focused on frequent walking around doing normal things with a normal gait.

The calf felt almost normal the next day. I still wouldn’t try to sprint or jump, but I did cautiously test it with a short, slow ruck. This worked out fine and significantly improved my hopes for the trip.

I went back to work for a couple of days and walked around frequently in any down time. After that came two days in which I tested out my rucking ability. One day I went 4.6 miles and the other 6 miles. As long as I kept my strides short on the uphills, I was good. Two more work days with frequent walking and I stepped off on my thru hike and had no further problems with the injury.

So, for your consideration, my general approach to these types of injuries is-

• Ice it and take anti-inflammatory medications only if absolutely necessary for pain management.

• Get plenty of sleep and significantly increase protein consumption.

• As soon as possible (within reason), begin moving the affected joint/muscle through easy range of motion, frequently.

• Begin using the affected joint for easy, normal tasks, focusing on not favoring it (limping, etc). Cautiously increase the intensity of what the injury can handle as it improves, but prioritizing not re-injuring it!

Check out this link for a MUCH more detailed explanation and video describing what is going on in the processes I discuss above-

https://thereadystate.com/blogs/trigger-warning-youve-got-to-stop-icing/

My intention with this “How to Adventure” series is to maybe inspire you to get out and do a bit more, seek more, and live a little more fully. I’m out here trying to do the same. I’m learning a few things along the way that work for me. I want to pass these along to you to help make your experiences better, but I also want to learn from you.

The list of subscribers to Field Notes is growing daily. I get to see the fascinating diversity of people from all over the world who follow along here. From artists and writers to adventurers, from mothers to military veterans. With your engagement, I think we can build a great community of people with a common goal of improving ourselves and the world we live in. Thanks for being here!

Drop a comment about what you think of my treatment protocol, what other topics you’d like me to cover, or any other thoughts about getting after it!