As I plan my list of “must-bring” items for my vacation my hiking boots are staring at me accusingly. They are a heavy item but necessary if I’m going to do any hiking. I’m going to the Great Smokey Mountains. What else do you do in a National Park?
Maybe I’m being too optimistic. After all its been only about 2 weeks since my right hip finally seemed to be healed from my nose dive off the Southwest plane in January. Even so. Having 2 “bad” hips has done a number on my lower back. Aleve is my new best friend.
The doctor suggested physical therapy. I’m willing but thanks to my insurance I won’t have a chance to get started until after my vacation so back to the question facing me… do I pack those boots or face the fact that I’m no longer as young and fit as I once was? Nah! I’ll take them along…just in case.
I think fondly of the days when a carry on was all I needed to travel. Undies , couple of “T’s”, pair of jeans and toiletries and I was good to go. Now I need a bunch of Sherpas to get my luggage stowed.
Since I’m going to the Great Smokey Mountains I will need my camera gear. I want to get some low light shots so I need the tripod. I also want to go look for wildlife 
(the animal kind) so I will need the big telephoto.
And of course I need my laptop. I want to be able to stay in touch with the world.
As I heft my bags for a weight check I groan. I am so out of shape. So a germ of an Idea
has begun to form in my simple brain. If I can do a 365 day photo challenge, why can’t I do a 365 day physical challenge (Shhhh..don’t tell my doctor I’m thinking about the “E” word)
But seriously, at this rate I’ll need a Palanquin (that’s a sedan chair) to get around.
Maybe if my carry on had wheels I could improve the experience but that one was destroyed by the Southwest Baggage handlers and I haven’t replaced it yet.
Yes I have to get serious about this exercise thing and maybe a little Diet too. Once I get back from this vacation I can think of it as 365 days until my next vacation. ( A slight exaggeration but you get the idea) Time to make a major dent in the fat cells.
In the meantime I will take along the hiking boots. Even if they don’t get used this trip the extra weight should be good for burning some calories.
