It has been quite some time since my last entry here. Since our return home to Canada and the Canadian prairie, the weather and walking conditions have limited us to short walks around our small rural, prairie town where we cope with mud, puddles and potholes. Our walk yesterday gave us hope that we would be taking a walk into the country side, finally able to measure our walking in kilometres instead of blocks.
Yesterday, we received our trekking poles in the mail, poles I ordered online from the United Kingdom called Pacer Poles. Having used Nordic ski poles for many, many years when cross-country skiing, we both thought that it would be good to be kind to our aging bodies with trekking poles when on our long hikes.
Since my wife has made the decision to walk the Camino journey with me, she has been busy learning as much as possible about the journey, and more importantly, about what it will take to be ready for the hike of about 800 kilometres. I have to admit it, but she is she is better at this than I am, the art of preparation of body and mind. My strength lies in dealing with the planning and logistics to make it all happen.
Until our departure date for the first stage which is set for 2015, we will be covering a lot of ground, working our bodies and making sure all of our equipment, clothing and footwear is properly broken in and suitable for our bodies and the challenges of the Camino.
Our first hike with the new poles is set for late this afternoon on gravel roads heading out onto the Canadian prairie marking a shift in my journey, my pilgrimage from that of being a solo activity, to a shared activity with the person I trust the most and love the most. We will share the trail, the chemin, but we will both be faced with the realities of our separate bodies and minds on this shared journey.
Bon chemin!