Five Things I Learned Hiking the John Muir Trail by Joan M. Griffin
Bonus #0. Something I’ve long known was especially important during the John Muir Trail adventure that became my memoir, Force of Nature. Plan ahead thoroughly, but be ready to adjust and embrace surprises . I’m a planner. I like to do all the organizing early—creating Plans A, B, and C—so I can relax and enjoy the trip. For example, I had to organize my meals for a month, break food up into packages for each day, and then send boxes ahead to food caching sites to be picked up. One box was even delivered to the trail by packhorse. Out in the wilderness, I was confident my supplies would be waiting for me at the next stop. 1. Have patience with myself that I will rise to the occasion—I will get stronger or I’ll adjust. I am brave (even when I’m scared). Early in our adventure, I was terrified of walking across logs over rivers. I felt top-heavy with forty pounds on my back and didn’t trust my feet on rough curved logs. I pictured myself falling headlong into the river below! But I kep