My Body of Work

   As I sit in the lobby of the Timberline Lodge, on the shoulder of Mt. Hood in northern Oregon, full as a tick, I am taking stock of my body.  I only have 47 more miles to walk until I cross the Bridge of the Gods and into Washington, my final state of this epic journey.  Alternately, I have walked more than 1,600 miles from where I started in the desert of California.  You are probably thinking to yourself, "Wow, WeeBee! You must be in great shape!" Yes, well, I'd have to say that is debatable....let's discuss the state of my physicality, starting at the top, shall we?

As far as I'm concerned this is what I actually look like.

Hair:  While I've never been accused of having an actual hairstyle, I do think I generally have healthy hair.  Not so much "kempt" as "shiny." Regardless, having it long makes it easy to put in a braid and forget about while I'm hiking.  Seems easy enough, right? Well, my hair seems to have a mind of it's own. It wants to let it's freak flag fly.  Mere seconds after I tightly braid my tresses and put on my "Spread The Awesome" trucker hat my braid migrates to the left side of my neck, resting on my left shoulder for the remainder of the day.  Stray hairs spring out behind my ears and subtly, very sneakily, my braid loosens and resembles a toilet brush.  It's as if each individual strand of hair wants to catch the view, to feel the wind in it's....self.  This has left me with somewhat straw-like hair that will need to be dealt with at the end of this odyssey.
Head/Face:  I don't see myself in a mirror very often, so I can't really comment on what I look like.  I can make one observation though:  according to the scale in Sierra City (approximately 900 miles ago) I'd lost nearly 17 pounds.  When I see photos of myself I'm convinced I've lost most of this weight from my cheeks, jowls, and wattle.  My normally cherubic cheeks have apparently been hiding cheekbones all these years. Who knew?
Shoulders:  Considering that my shoulders heft the weight of my current worldly belongings on them for about 10 hours a day they are in good shape.  And by that I mean I can still use my arms and do not shout out in pain every time I put my backpack on.  They, too, seem a bit thin, but otherwise sturdy.  The only alarming thing about my shoulders seem to be a permanent pink discoloration above the collarbone and perhaps a "lumpy" texture at the bone itself.  My collection of sleeveless gowns will remain in the closet for a while.
Arms/Hands:  While I do use my arms to lift my pack onto my back and I hike with trekking poles, the lower half of my body is doing all the hard work.  My strong Alaska-girl arms have atrophied into tiny T-Rex-like appendages and I'm finding it more and more difficult to do basic tasks like feeding myself and taking my hat off my head.  I have developed a fetching tan from below the elbow to the tips of my fingers which I like to display in a short sleeved t-shirt on laundry days.  My career as a hand* model is indefinitely on hold. My hands are constantly filthy. Not dirty, but filthy.  My trekking pole handles are generally dirty which leads to grime getting ground in to every crevasse and line in my palm.  Particularly dirty are the two triangle-shaped calluses in the webbing of my palm between my thumb and forefinger.  Overall, it's amazing I use these tools at the end of my arms to eat with.  On the bright side, because I use trekking poles and keep my hands moving and generally around the level of my heart, I avoid the dreaded "sausage fingers" that many hikers traditionally get. 
*Also true for feet and bikini line, but for different reasons.
Torso:  While my waist has shrunk, I feel like I have zero core strength.  It may seem as if I'd use my core a lot while climbing a hill or something, but I think that the hip belt just holds everything in place and lets it get lazy.  I'm actually convinced that my core and back muscles would just allow me to collapse and therefore I need to strap myself in to my pack everyday just so I can walk upright.  I will be a wet noodle walking around sans pack in late September.  I have no bruises or tenderness on my protruding hipbones, but I do have a permanent bruise-colored discoloration on my left hip.  Thank goodness bikini season is almost over.
Butt:  A shadow of its former self.  A lot less junk in the trunk.  Gluteus muscles are often painfully tired while trying to sleep at night.
Legs:  From the waist to the knee I am a tree trunk.  From the knee to the ankle I am a hamhock.  I could crush the average human with a twitch of my calf muscle.  Knees are feeling fine.  I'm trying to keep up on my stretching to maintain my ability to walk, but there is no doubt about it:  no matter how long you hike and how strong you are there will always be the "hiker hobble."  While I'm hiking I feel fine, no problems.  As soon as I sit down for a break, eat a meal, or get up in the morning I'm like a little old lady shuffling from one place to another.  You'd look at me and wonder how I manage 25 miles per day.....
Hooves:  Oh, tiny hooves.  I'm so sorry.  While the blisters long ago hardened into calluses, the feet just put up with sooooo much. I walk so far. Carry my world on my back.  They generally feel good, but of course they tire.  At this point I start to worry more once I stop hiking.  The balls of my feet feel like someone wailed on them with a paddle and the overall foot and ankle are swollen.  I know what it means to be a "tenderfoot." My toes don't want to bend in any direction other than the walking movement therefore pointing my toes or sitting back on my heels with my toes on the ground is nearly impossible for any amount of time.  I am curious to see how long it will take for my hooves to get back to normal after this excursion....
  So, yes, in some ways I am strong and fit!! And in other ways I wonder what damage long distance hiking does to one's body.  I doubt I could ride a bike very far, hold a yoga pose for long, or run down the block.  But when it comes to walking I am an expert! A whiz! A machine! But it's also a strange existence to only be good at walking and eating...there is little energy for anything else these days.
 I will head into Washington on Wednesday and have no clue if I'll have access to a computer again. If I don't, please root for me to make it to the border!! My hopeful finish date is September 22, the Equinox.  I'll let you know how it goes afterward....until then, I'll be walking north!!