It's a pretty special place!

I worked most of Sunday so it was 6 pm before I laced the boots and headed west... up to my Wood's  Quarry.

Half way there I noticed a gentleman poised gingerly over his digital SLR. I continued on, remembering what it felt like on Friday evening when Mark allowed me to talk him into a long hike on an unfamiliar path. Yes,  it's getting dark earlier these days!
(Mental note;  Add headlamp to the backpack)

On the way down I paused to ask the same guy,  who hadn't moved more that 2 feet, what his subject matter was.

The sky!  My favorite too!  :)

We compared pictures for a few minutes. ..Him with his lenses and bodies,  me with my camera phone. A little of my dignity left me,  right then and there!

Then I noticed movement on the trail behind me.  A young coyote was following at a distance.  Perhaps also interested in the deer that had been grazing in the field in front of us.

I willingly let time and daylight escape me and spent the next 20 minutes enjoying a pretty special place.... Critters, sunset and mountains. And as it turns out, I won some dignity back when my coyote videos won the admiration of my new photographer friend!

Everybody Loves a Multi-Tool

As you know,  I'm ditching the camera,  ipad and such,  while walking the Camino. My phone will be all I take in that regard.

So,  part of the packing and prepping process involves getting familiar (and please,  quicker!) with blogging and looking stuff up.

I spend 15 minutes at Woods Quarry or other destination,  about every other hike,  tapping out a blog post. Sometimes I even practice selfies too!

From Royal Arch last week...

And Wood's Quarry this week...

There is an assumption on my part, the selfies will improve even if the subject matter is deteriorating! 

Float like a butterfly, Sting like a bee

I was skipping down the trail,  minding my own business - well,  not so much that, because I had a strong interest in the goings-on of a young coyote,  5 deer,  a handful of prairie dogs and the illusive black squirrel seen below...

I digress.  However, I was skipping along happily.

Then OUCH! (Admittedly,  that's not the exact word I used.)

I looked down at my ankle in time to see a poor little bee fly out of my boot.  I guess I bumped him off a flower and he quite randomly dropped in there, between the sock and the tongue. I located his empty stinger sack and pulled it out. He got my ankle through my sock!

I was a mile from home and hobbled like a drama queen the rest of the way. Actually the pain was only intermittent and within an hour or two it was gone completely and replaced with a tingly sensation in my head and on my face that was rather pleasant.

Coincidence?  I think not.  Apparently bee sting therapy is real!

Weight Loss

In an ongoing effort to reduce the amount of weight I'll be trekking over the Pyrenees, I've been shopping (a lot) for gear that is backpacker friendly.

I'll be giving you a comprehensive list of pack contents before I go,  reasoning for inclusion and weights for each item,  but before that,  how about an update on progress?

Last week I began the hunt for a light sleeping bag to replace my 3 lb bag. Thorough research led me to believe I had one option. ... Of course it was a discontinued line and near impossible to purchase!  Then one night,  suffering with insomnia and a Camino monkey mind,  I woke, searched for and purchased something entirely different. The next morning all I had was the vaguest of recollections of buying a sleeping bag sometime between 2 and 3 am!

It arrived this week and I love it.  Lesson learned ... Stop over-thinking this and stop taking hours away from work and other priorities!

The other thing that arrived this week was new waterproof pants.  Yeah,  I have some already,  but they are Goretex and twice as heavy. I estimated that I'd be saving a half pound by replacing them with a cheaper, thinner version.

With my two new items stowed in the pack, I prepared to weigh in. First standing on the scale with my pack on, then without. The difference being the pack weight.

Pretty good! 14.5 lb

While it may never be the 12 lb pack I was going for (unless no water being carried) it's a very manageable weight for me.

Here is the real surprise...
I personally weigh 2 lb lighter than last week. I have not been trying to lose weight and didn't think there was much to lose actually, but I guess all this hiking around with a heavy pack has shaved off 1/8 " here and there.  Not noticeably thinner,  but 2 lb lighter anyway. Add that to the 3 lb from weeks prior and that's 5 less pounds I'm carrying, despite the pack not reaching goal weight.

I'd call that mission accomplished after all.
My dad was right.  There IS more than one way to skin a cat.

Out at Dusk

My Sunday hike was delayed due to work and weather,  but I was hopeful that a hike at dusk would offer up more animal sightings anyway.

No such luck.  I didn't see the coyote, deer or bear cub that Mark and I saw on Saturday morning either.  Darn it!

Lovely evening though.  With that delightful fresh smell that recent rain brings.

The Good Life

Two and a half miles and 1000 feet up. I'm having breakfast (protein bar,  like the good boulder hiker I am) at Woods Quarry. Not a soul around and since it rained last night, not so dusty.

There is sunshine on my face - and other parts of me too... Let's just say that since I started hiking an hour ago,  I have shed a few items and am enjoying a minimalist outfit.

One more minute and I'll head back down. I have work to do and that includes preparing for 6 closings in the next 3 weeks.

Yes, I'm very grateful that I have awesome, supportive clients and real estate is paying for my Camino trip next month.

Loving life!

Selfie

It's never a bad way to start a day. ..
Sunshine and a solo hike.

Training Hike - Ouch!

It's Sunday and I promised myself a long hike to end the weekend...So up I went.

Up,  up,  up!

Leaving my house on Martin Dr,  I buckled my pack on,  laced my boots and threaded little wrists through the loops on my trekking poles.

After winding past NIST and up that step switch-back road to the open space, in stifling heat and sticky humidity,  I was already tired. It took an hour to get to Chautauqua. Along the route I passed a mom and her baby deer. Then stopped to photograph a chicory eating wild flowers.

Another hour of uphill slog and I found myself under Royal Arch. The view was spectacular and I took a 10 minute break. Feet were feeling good, legs were still going strong.

Downhill was torture,  plain and simple. Every muscle ached with fatigue from hips to toes. Thank goodness those trekking poles supported me and my knees, as I dropped down steep steps. I plodded along and planned dinner. .. Ibuprofen, washed down with pho!

This was my first long and strenuous hike, but 9 miles and a climb of about 1800 feet took just 3 hours and 45 minutes. It required no snacks, left no blisters and gave me a sense of accomplishment. Not to mention enough confidence to convince myself I can handle days 1&2 of the Camino!

Life-Hacks I Learned From Those In The Know

As you might remember, I got invited to a packing event held by the American Pilgrims on the Camino.  The idea was to listen to a quick talk by a couple of women who have vast Camino walking experience, then the opportunity to have your pack and its contents examined by an expert. Free personal guidance on gear, as well as advice/expectations specific to my travel dates and start/end points.

There was the usual advice on wool and silk garments, first aid and albergue conduct, of course. Most which was either common sense or fell in line with the advice I had already gathered online.

Then there were the tips and tricks that you'll be hard pressed to find anywhere else... Life hacks specific to the Camino experience.

#1
Make a little drawstring bag out of nylon mesh. Put your bar of soap in it and use to to scrub yourself in the shower. Hang the soap and its drawstring bag up under your bunk overnight and in the morning its dry and ready to put back in a toiletry kit.

#2
The outlets in Spain are recessed into the wall. Its easy to pull out a phone charger and leave the power converter in there. Tape the two together with bright tape. (And if you do lose yours, ask the albergue staff for another, since they probably have a collection!)

#3
Take an S hook with you. Use it over the wall or door in the shower cubicle to hang your bag of toiletries and clothes on - Or you will have to put your stuff on the floor!

#4
Darn Tough socks. According to one lady who has hiked 25,000 across Europe, including winter hiking, the socks of choice are a brand called Darn Tough. They have a lifetime guarantee (replacement or your money back) and wear out slower than the other merino wool brands.
socksaddict.com seems to be a great place to find them at reasonable prices.

#5
Use slippery sock liners, Bodyglide, Vaseline or Aquaphor to help prevent blisters. Use Compeed to cover existing blisters so you can keep walking. If you stop for 10 minutes or more... Take your boots off and let your feet breathe. Have a pair of evening shoes to break from the boots.

#6
Buy Ibuprofen when you get there. Without a prescription you can get 600-800mg tablets and therefore carry fewer of them. (Pharmacists can give more medical advice and sell a vast array of drugs in Spain that they would not be qualified/permitted to, in the US.)

#7
Make a copy of the picture page of your passport and laminate it. It will save you from having to produce your passport from its secret hiding place, every time you check in at an albergue.

#8
Cut the pages for your hike out of your guide book and leave the book at home! Plan each day. Know your anticipated route and distances to amenities.  Carry that days pages in a ziplock bag in your pants pocket so it's handy.

#9
Start cutting your toenails now.  You'll need them short for hiking.  Firstly,  because longer toenails will wear through your socks.  Secondly,  because toenails that jam into the ends of hiking boots are uncomfortable/painful and can be damaged or fall off!

Packing for the Camino De Santiago

A week of research lead me to believe that I don't have the right gear.  I have gear, for sure, but not the right gear. Having traveled extensively, camped and backpacked more than once and loitered at REI garage sales for years, it seemed logical that I could pull together what was necessary for 2 weeks and 250 miles on a French-Spanish hiking trail.

Not so.

The truth is, I need way less than I thought but different than I have.
All advice points along the following lines...

1. Merino wool clothes. Light and breathable, stays warm when wet, doesn't get stinky very fast.
I opted for Smartwool and Icebreaker base layer items. Socks, leggings and tops.
FYI, Icebreaker merino wool comes from sheep in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. It performs well and the treatment of the sheep is apparently better than their Aussie kin. Neither Smartwool nor Icebreaker brands are inexpensive, but this is not the time to cut corners and I'm quite ok with buying responsibly and putting my money where my mouth is.
REI outlet and Sierra Trading Post clearance sale... My two new best friends!

2.  Rain Gear.
My boots are waterproof of course (Zamberlan, circa 2008 and still going strong) and I'm taking Goretex pants and a GoLite waterproof jacket also. Lucky for me, I have all this already.

3. Pack.
I splurged. After dragging out my large pack from under the bed and realizing I needed smaller and lighter, then remembering that my day pack is not adjustable, I went searching for the perfect "in between" size.

The Deuter 45+10 womans fit. Its medium sized, light weight, waterproof and has those adjustable bits I need. Rumor has it that after hours of walking, one might like to tighten or loosen straps on a whim to move the weight from hips to shoulders and back again. Makes sense to me!

4.  Hiking Poles
I had never used them and wondered about their advantages vs disadvantages (like you can't put them in carry-on luggage). It only took conversations with two avid long distance hikers to assure me I would be acquiring some.
As the proud new owner of a pair of awesome Black Diamond trekking poles, I'm here to say they have already changed my hiking speed, posture and life! I won't be going anywhere without them again.

4. Random "must haves":
I have a small list. I also have a small list of things that I have found to be ridiculous, yet on other peoples "must have" lists.
Get this: One person swears by a .5lb laundry bag. A fancy-pants ziplock bag with nubbies inside that rub on your clothes and get them cleaner than a regular ziplock, apparently. I think her boyfriend carried most of their "shared" stuff! Hahaha.
Another girl recommends we all buy these $200 ballet shoes that bend in half and weigh almost nothing. She assures us you can dress them up and down for every occasion... How versatile! However they don't make my list because, well... All you'll find in my pack is a pair of convertible hiking pants and I really don't see how ballet shoes could dress them up unless they are magical!
Third prize for the biggest waste of space and weight goes to the eye mask. THE most girlie cure for lights on in the dorm room that I've heard. I plan on using my trusty Buff for this instead.

For those of you who know me, you may not be convinced I'll be travelling sans Canon EOS 50D. It is after all, almost grafted to me most of the time. However, this trip I assure you I will be without it. Words of advice from someone who I trust..."Is this a hiking trip or a photography trip? It can't be both".

My phone will be my communication, internet, camera and translator. I hope to publish short updates to this blog along the way so you too can share the bad hair days, see the up close pictures of my blisters and witness the triumph that can only come after you encourage death during a 20 mile hike in pouring rain!

There is about 7 weeks until I leave for Spain (Sept 22nd) and I still require education in the packing department - Did I mention the max 10% of your body weight guideline? That means about a 12 lb pack for me!

*Im attending a "Camino - to pack or not to pack", event this week. It promises to be a wealth of information and a potential buy and trade gear, sort of affair. It is being held by the American Pilgrims organization and I will blog it, for you. :-)

Going on Walk About

Every few years I get a hankering for solo travel. The urge to push past my comfortable boundaries, go where this girl has never gone before. To challenge myself mentally, physically and emotionally.

In 2014 a friend of mine, Teresa, planted the seed. She spoke of a trip that changes people. A hiking trail longer than I ever thought they could be and a journey that stretches ones capacity, causing them to re-examine what feels good, what is necessary and what goes on in ones own head when left to ponder life for hours at a time.

For 9 months I let that seed sprout, that thought develop.  Then in July 2015 I let that thought become more than contemplation... And quite all of a sudden, I found myself unable to think about much else except the CAMINO DE SANTIAGO.

This is the first post, the start of my journey.
I am two weeks into the planning of my own Camino - The French Way.
First stop (predictably): Google.