a most revealing walk

I was inside for most of today (Friday), but stepped out around 8:15 this evening to check out the campsite by the river. I may be moving there in a day or two to save some money.

Turns out that the site is both an RV park and a campsite. I met a gent who was RV'ing there; he explained that "tenters" (i.e., people like me who are tent camping) could stay there for $9 a night, which is quite cheap, but that many of the sailboarders who flock to that part of the river tend to camp without paying. He also said the site was very windy, but my time in Celilo showed me that I can handle wind, and that my tent is an effective shield against it.

The only problem with the tent sites at the RV park is that most of them are exposed-- no shade trees (the RV spots, however, are among the nicest I've seen this entire walk). This will mean setting up shade using the poncho plus my backpack, trekking poles, and bungee cord. The backpack's bulk and weight, normally liabilities, will come in handy as a way to give the trekking poles some stability. I might need to buy extra tent stakes, though. Luckily, Arlington has an Ace hardware store just a hop over from this motel. I'm sure it'll have stakes, or something sufficiently stakelike, in stock.

According to the gentleman I spoke with, most of the RVers are part of a team that's putting up a "wind farm," i.e., clusters of wind turbines that generate electricity, like the ones atop the mountains on the Washington side of the gorge. These guys are long-termers; the campground offers monthly rates for such folks. I wished the man well on his construction project and took a tour of the campground. Not much to see and feel but wind, water, and gravel. At that time of day, temps were pleasant.

When I turned around to go back to the motel, I found myself face to face with an enormous full moon shining brightly over the mountains. I kicked myself for having left the BlackBerry back in the motel room; otherwise, I'd have taken a pic for you. It was quite a sight.

And a final revelation: the walk back, which couldn't have been more than a quarter of a mile, was rather painful. The knee needs a lot of rest. This frustrates me because, as I've been losing weight and improving (however slowly) on the cardiovascular front, I've gotten tougher in other respects, and recover more quickly from a day's walk than I used to. I'm not tired. Muscle-wise and lung-wise, I'm ready to move on. It's aggravating to have to tarry because of one recalcitrant joint, but that's where things are for the moment.

The pain was worrisome, too, because this was the first time I'd experienced such discomfort while both (1) walking a short distance and (2) doing so unencumbered. I'm especially worried that I might be grinding down my meniscus. I don't want to find myself with a knee that's scraping bone on bone, so for now, the cheapest (and probably best) solution is rest. I'll have to find some way to occupy the rest of my body in the meantime. Crunches and pushups might not be a bad idea, along with picnic table pullups. I might even take to curling my backpack, and I'm sure I can find or concoct some sort of cardio routine that won't involve the bad knee.

So tonight's walk was quite informative. I had a chance to familiarize myself with a possible future campground, catch an amazing full moon, and discover that my knee needs more rest than I've been giving it, even if the rest of me is good to go. In all, today reminded me that going on this walk was a good decision. Despite the pain, the grit, and all the other little hassles, this has been an experience I wouldn't trade for anything. Yes, even the rides in those squad cars.

I have no regrets.


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