My Crohn's was like a shadow in the afternoon sun, always with me, yet never holding me back from my dreams and always stretching with me. When I looked over my shoulder, it was there. The lesson is that I never let it stop me.
Cinque Terre, Italy
How did I go for three months on a vigorous journey of physical strain, poor nutrition, and bouts of stress that comes with solo travel at a young age? Prayer, determination, and unceasing drive. It also required that I give up my current medication regime for a bout of steroids. Adding the prednisone-induced insomnia to switching hostel beds every couple of nights certainly led to a lot of missed sleep and nodding off on trains. And finding healthy food was many times out of the question, due to the fast pace of my travel and limited budget. Yet while my body often felt fatigued and drained, the absolute joy of what I was doing kept me blind to any bodily discomfort. My spirits soared at the many friendships I struck on the road, and the endless incredible vistas of Scottish lochs, Italian coastline, Swiss Alps, curvy Welsh roads, and Parisian side streets. I quickly became addicted to being on the move, to the rush of the hosteling circuit and the freedom of hopping on and off trains at will.
Wells Cathedral, England
While it's easy to think that others can do something, but it would never work out for yourself given your own special challenges, please know it's worth the journey to try. Trust me, I had plenty of self-doubt myself. The difference is taking that leap of faith!
I recently started reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed and had that pang of admiration that follows suit whenever I hear of an adventure that my Crohn's would surely keep me from experiencing. Backpacking Europe for three months is one thing but hiking in the wilderness for three months is quite another. Now some may say anyone with Crohn's could hike the Pacific Coast Trail, but I would suggest it is unlikely, or only attainable if the person were strictly in long-time remission and on limited meds. Still..... As I read about Cheryl mailing ahead packages of food, I recalled how I did the same for my European jaunt. Mailing prescriptions to destinations kept me from having to carry everything in my backpack, which was already maxed out just shy of 50 pounds.
I like to be proven wrong sometimes! After making these assumptions about hiking, I stumbled across a link to a fellow Crohnie who is hiking the Continental Divide Trail to raise money for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. WOW!! I am truly humbled. This is amazing!!
Maybe you wish you could swim the English Channel. Start out doing laps at your local Y. Maybe you wish you could hike Macchu Picchu. Build up your strength doing test-walks on local mountain ranges and amp up the treadmill as high as it will go. What matters is setting goals that will lead you to your dream.
Ice Palace at Jungfrau Station
Crohnies Unite!