Reflections on My 1st Journey in 2014

Just a few days before I leave for my 2nd stage.

From Alice to Ocean ( Alone Across the Outback  )

As I look back on the trip now,  as I try to sort out fact from fiction,  try to remember how I felt at that particular time,  or during that particular incident, try to relive those memories that have been buried so deep,  and distorted so ruthlessly,  there is one clear fact that emerges from the quagmire. The trip was easy.  It was no more dangerous that crossing the street, or driving to the beach or eating peanuts. The two important things that I did learn were that you are as powerful and strong as you allow yourself to be,  and that the most difficult part of any endeavor is taking the first step,  making the first decision. ... Camel trips,  as I suspected all along,  and as I was about to have confirmed,  do not begin or end,  they merely change form.

Link to my 2014 Blog (Starting in Seville)

Under 5 Days To Go

Checklist items:
Passport valid for duration of trip. Don't need drivers license.
Credit card and debit card PIN numbers memorized and verified.
Banks notified of travel itinerary (so they don't cancel card when used in foreign country).
Picked up additional prescriptions to last for trip duration.
Confirmed airline reservation and trip insurance.
Mail hold put in effect.

Final prep hikes; it's getting close to departure day
	Did Corbett's Glen (3.5 miles) two evenings in a row. Beautiful hike after the sun goes down and one is in the woods.
	Killer 15 miler on a lot of flat pavement. Mid-point was seeing my grandkids at their home. And my wonderful d-in-law, Jaime, made me a perfect coffee.
	Sunday morning hike to recover from the urban hike yesterday. The 4 miles of constant climbing and descending gave my legs a much fuller workout.
	Didn't get enough this morning, so Harold and I spent the afternoon with 3 more miles of hills and valleys.

2 Weeks to Go

Reporting tonight on my preparations.

Papers are in order.  Located my passport and my El Camino credentials.  Checked my airline reservations. So I will be able to get on the plane, get off in Spain and be allowed into the pilgrim hostels.

Did a 4 mile hike in 90 minutes with Harold this weekend.  Good pace.  Never even broke a sweat.

Did 4 miler with hiking club also. Full pack with Camino equipment.

Gear is all checked out over the past weeks.  New Keane hiking shoes broke in.  Camelback works.

Coming up I have a 4 miler, another 4 miler,  a 9 miler and a 15 miler.  Then it's rest time after that ... keeping things sweet and easy.

	Turning Point Park Sunday p.m. hike

From Alice to Ocean ( Alone Across the Outback )

"The intellectual and critical faculties did everything that they could think of to keep the boundaries there.  They dredged up memory.  They became obsessed with time and measurement.  But they were having to take second place,  because they simply were no longer necessary. "

Alone In a Group ( Letchworth Hike)

Overwhelmed throughout this weekend. I've hit a 'hikers' wall'. I'm burned out and exhausted and stressed out. There's too much to do and not enough time in the day to do it.

(Turns out that things are working out anyway. Harold (dog) and Lola (cat) will get some excellent care while I am gone. Just needed an afternoon to myself. )

Letchworth State Park

   Had a challenging hike this weekend in Letchworth State Park. I faced several hurdles to complete this hike.

• Early rise time at 5:15 a.m.
• Long commute to the start point at 1.5 hrs
• Steady downpour of rain
• Hiker's wall (in that it's getting exhausting)

  I had the fortune to be with some good people (Karen the hike leader and Ryan - another hiker). Together we decided to pursue the 6.5 mile hike despite the starting conditions. I'm glad that we did. We hiked under the verdant coverage of hundred foot trees overhanging the trail. We walked through primal forests which were devoid of the hustle and bustle of humanity. We climbed a 500-ft elevation change and enjoyed the challenge to our bodies and our spirits. We walked in the rain and admired how it changed the forest around us.

A Stream-of-Consciousness Sonnet

Hundred foot trees, their foliage providing an emerald canopy
against the rain which is stacked up on the leaves
dripping down on us. An over-flowing covering against the storm
overwhelmed by the elements.

Altho' not performing its duty, the color saturates the forest floor
and as we walk along, the forest appears more primeval than 21st-century.
There's no one out here but us three. We are not talking or chatting
or putting any audio pollution into this pristine place.

The rain turns out to be not a hindrance or an annoyance
but an addition to the ethereal mood of the trail.

'Man' maintains the trails but if stopped, nature would quickly reclaim
the strip of manufactured walking space for us.

From Alice to Ocean ( Alone Across the Outback )

    In the beginning I had known at some level that this could happen. It had frightened me then. I had seen it as a chaotic principle and I fought it tooth and nail. I had given myself the structures of habit and routine with which to fortify myself and these were very necessary at the time. Because if you are fragmented and uncertain it is terrifying to find the boundaries of yourself melt.

Labor Day Weekend Practice

The one constant in all this hiking over Labor Day weekend was the weather. The temperature hovered around 88 degrees and the humidity stayed at about 80%. Not just me, but everyone along for the hikes was sweating like crazy. The best parts of each day were the later afternoon shower and lemonade.

	Mendon Ponds strenuous 6-mile hike upon the eskers
	Harold and I took a long stroll around the East End, Park Ave and the Neighborhood of the Arts, late at night. Just had too much energy to go to bed.
	5 mile hike along the Genesee River from Seneca Park (designed by Frederick Olmstead) to the Lower/Middle Falls. We were quite surprised by the very low water level in the river, and that RGE repaired the damaged overpass to the Middle Falls.
	Straight-forward circumlocation of Webster Park. Fortunately there was a lot of shade and the occasional breeze off the lake.
	This one was the killer. 10-mile hike from Seneca Park zoo to the lake (Ontario Beach Park). It was noontime when we arrived and lots of people were barbecuing some very delicious smelling meals. Didn't need meat, but did need lots of fruit (apple, banana, blueberries and plums + a fruit yougurt). Over the 10 miles we set a fast 2.5 mph pace. No wonder we were exhausted at the end.
Read my 2014 blog from stage 1 here.

Reflections on My 1st Stage (And What Lies Ahead on My 2nd Stage)

Plaza De Espana, Sevilla, Espana

My El Camino de Santiago

Not ships in the night, but chords in my heart.

The Englishman with sardonic humor;

The Italian with the lyrical laugh;

The passionate, fiery Canadian.

Each rise challenges a revelation.

Each descent restores the motivation.

Each little step moves my life forward.

Each stumble makes me a stronger pilgrim.

Mi tostada y cafe con leche.

“Nuestro Padre” - quiet creek, quiet woods;

It’s the alteration of daily life

That matters more than the changes.

I am ready to go with the current

which directs me on my Spanish journey .

From Alice to Ocean ( Alone Across the Outback )

"I learnt to conserve energy by allowing at least part of myself to believe I could cope with any emergency. And I realized that this trip was not a game. There is nothing so real as having to think about survival. It strips you of airy-fairy notions. Believing in omens and fate is all right as long as you know exactly what you are doing. I was becoming very careful and I was coming right back down to earth, where the desert was larger than I could comprehend. "

Why I Am Going Back to Andalucia and the El Camino

El Camino Via De La Plata Part I

All I was, all I am, all I will be

Melted away on the trail in the heat,

Walking the Roman, dirt-paved path

Under the Andalucian sun.

The  Camino is absent of people.

Being alone is a good way to be

When you use it to be with yourself.

Emptiness is the absence of purpose.

Nothing seemed right except a simple prayer,

Spoken in hushed Spanish, in whispered breaths;

Resting under the quiet rustling trees,

Sure of my location, but not my place.

Out here I'm living nowhere and anywhere;

Somewhere is a place at some time.

The mountain range just below the name 'Almaden de la Plata' is known by anecdote as "Mount Calvary", and it was, coming at the end of 15 miles of hot, struggling hiking. I felt it to be the test of character ... impossible to go back, necessary to go forward with not much left to give to the effort.

Training Routine

Thought that I would talk a bit about my training routine.

The El Camino is about walking. Well, that is walking with everything that you have (for distances of 12 - 15 miles per day) which for the smart packer comes in at about 10% of body weight. So I should pack about 17 lbs. Now that also includes the water in my camel back, which comes to about 5 lbs. So now we are down to 12 lbs for clothes.

With this in mind, my training involves extended hikes with my backpack. On the weekends I am shooting for 20+ miles between Saturday and Sunday. Now that is still short of where I need to be.

Last  weekend I added in the backpack with 20lbs weight. The first thing that I noticed is that I became fatigued much quicker, like around the 3 mile mark. Since I was doing 6 mile hikes, it was no real problem. I gutted it out. But as I get closer to departure day, I need to amp it up.

Since this is Labor Day weekend, that gives me three days to hike. This will be an excellent opportunity to increase distance. My goal is 30+ miles with the 20lb backpack over the course of three days. Actually I'm going to cheat and start on Friday night to get a headstart, just in case I run into some kind of block (like not giving a damn at some point). LOL

Beyond that I will focus on tone, fitness and flexibility through a combination of yoga, pilates and physical conditioning.

My main worries at this point are the hamstrings (tight from a season of softball) and the flareup of plantar. Proper training should allow me to compensate for these, but will not make them go away. It's too late for that. Thus proper conditioning and training are emphasized.