Walked 8 Miles Today

 Getting in shape for a 15 mile a day, week-long hike in May. Only up to 8 miles at this point. Walked 4, had brunch, walked 4 more. Then took an hour nap! Boy, I need to get in shape.

Training for the Camino

Mentioned awhile back that my wife and I are getting in shape for a May 2022 hike of the Camino de Santiago (the 6 day, 70 mile portion starting just north of Portugal). 

This means we need to get in "15 mile a day" shape! Yikes.

Right now, I can walk about 4 or 5 miles at a time. In a few weeks we'll walk 10 miles - half of that in the morning, take a break for brunch, then walk back. Should work!

This afternoon we walked along a rails to trails path for 4.5 miles. And I bonked! 

The problem was I didn't eat anything very healthy after our church service. For fellowship time after worship we had some cake and cheese and crackers. Great for snacking, not great for power fuel.

So I skipped a protein packed lunch and instead of taking a nap (my normal routine), we headed out for a nice fast-paced walk. Well, it was fast-paced for 2.5 miles and then I got light headed.

Yep. No water, no protein bar, no gu available. And it was starting to get a little chilly, low 50s. T-shirt. So I had to sit for a bit and rest.

Sitting and resting is no big deal. We're not going to walk 15 miles straight each day in May along the Camino. But we do need to be able to go the distance. Which means hiking smart! 

I guess I'm glad I learned my lesson this early in my training regimen. Namely, prep with protein before, during, and after - along with some carbs and electrolytes. And cut down on the desserts. 

In other words, this man cannot live on cake alone. 

Will keep you posted as to our progress.

~*~

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Our Next Hike - Camino de Santiago de Compostela

If you're like me, you're always thinking about your next trip. I even dream about our next vacation while I'm on vacation! It's part of the fun of trip planning.

Well, awhile back we'd planned our "next" hiking trip for the fall of 2020. That didn't happen. Obvs. So since then, my wife and I have had lots and lots of time to think and dream and research.

During this past year and a half we've all had to change plans and make accommodations. Not a problem. Health and safety first. But if everything holds, our "next" trip will finally come together.

Drum roll, please: Portugal and Spain, May 2022.

We're excited. The purpose of the trip is really to day-hike a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. The "camino" is actually a series of routes from various parts of France, Spain, and Portugal. They all end up in a city in NW Spain.

For many, it's a pilgrimage, a spiritual journey following the path of what is claimed to be the Way of St. James. I don't know if St. James actually made it to Spain, but it will still be a refreshing venture.

We'll be hiking a 7 day portion of the camino, north of Portugal. If you look at the map below, I think we start in Pontevedra. (The symbol above, btw, is the sign for the camino.)

We'll be with four other couples and we'll hike about 12 miles each day for a week. We'll be going from one bed and breakfast to the next. It's more like day trekking, since we won't need overnight backpacks. 

What's cool is that the tour company takes our luggage from one place to the next. We'll simply stroll along, take pictures, drink wine, converse; and then spend the night in a beautfiful B and B.

Sure, it might be the cheater's way, but heh, it's a pilgrimage not an ultra-marathon!

As the time draws close, I'll keep you posted on the trip. In the mean time, what vacations, hikes, tours, or adventures do you have planned in the upcoming year?

~*~

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#TravelTuesday - Put Me in the Zoo

Went to the zoo the other day. Beautiful fall weather in central Kansas currently, so we took advantage of the 'warm and sunny' and did our dayhike of 3 miles (!) at the Sedgwick County Zoo.

Saw the lion exhibit. The king was out, roaring a bit. Which was unusual. Normally he's just sleeping and sunning himself. He might have had a hairball, come to think of it.

Gorillas are always interesting. Caught them at feeding time. Boy, are they stingy. Young ape comes running for food, older brother chases him off. lol.

Elephants were playing, too. Tigers were roaming. Wolves were active. Prairie dogs were doing their silly ol' thing. 

A good day was had by all.

If you go, the zoo has lighted displays in the evenings and I hear  they're very pretty. Lots of room to roam as well. Takes about 2 hours to see the whole thing. If you keep moving.

Speaking of displays, if you're in the Wichita area and want another lightshow, our Botanica has illuminations that are just lovely. Well worth it.

Another holiday tradition is driving around looking at the Christmas lights. A few homes around town do it up right and put their light show to music, airing it on a low-frequency radio station. Fun times.

Of course, this week is Thanskgiving, so we'll be doing turkey and ham (but not in huge portions) with family. Then Sunday we begin the Advent Season. Turn on the Christmas music...what? you're listening to it already? Well, okay.

And then we wrap up the holidays with our annual Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at church. What a wonderful time of year we're entering into. Enjoying every minute. 

What are some of the autumn / winter activities and traditions you are looking forward to?

~*~

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Travel Tales: My Appalachian Trail Fail

When it comes to backpacking, I’m an epic failure.

First time giving it a real shot was on the Appalachian Trail about ten years ago. Our plan was six days along the Blue Ridge Mountains crisscrossing Virginia’s awe-inspiring Skyline Drive.

Goal: cover about ten miles each day. That sounded reasonable, right? Relatively healthy guy in his mid-forties, swimmer in college, occasional triathlete. Who needs to train with a backpack? I hear you say oofta.

I made it one dang day!

Forty pound backpack (too much), new hiking boots (dumb), not enough water (double dumb). I bonked at mile eight. Bellyached the last couple of klicks. Even traded my pack for my wife’s lighter one!

Full on shame.

There were six of us. Fortunately (for my ego!) two others were about as bad off as I was. So we ditched the Appalachian Trail and set up camp in Shenandoah National Park.

Great decision despite the major fail. We basically hiked a few miles each day for the rest of the week.

Day-hiking! Now that’s something I could do. It’s really a fancy way of describing walking outside and enjoying nature, but at least I’d found a new hobby. I guess I wasn’t the trim college athlete I thought I was.

For the past decade, then, my wife and I have been day-hiking sans backpacks. Yeah, I know. Not really like backpacking, but hear me out. Day-hiking can be just as enjoyable because you’re still outdoors and in the company of friends.

Last year we day-hiked the Kansas Badlands. Officially, Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park in western Kansas. We scheduled a tour (only way to go off-trail) and took in the stark beauty of eroded chalk towers reminiscent of the ancient fortress walls of Old Jerusalem (thus the park name).

We also got in about six or seven miles of hiking. I had plenty of water. My boots were thoroughly broken in. And I had no weight on my back! It was a blast.

I even wrote about it – which is the real kicker. My short article got accepted by a small town paper and they even paid me for it! So I’m a professional travel writer now? Well, I don’t consider myself an expert by any means.

But heh, like you, I’m just hiking along, enjoying life. Hoping our trails one day cross.

Image by Pexels from Pixabay.

P.S. Watch for this article to appear soon as a Travel Tale at The Broke Backpacker Instagram account. Follow them for a slew of inspirational adventures.

~*~

"Tip a buck, get a book."

(via PayPal.Me - an e-book from Tule Fog Press.) 

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