126 days and counting, so the training has begun in earnest. For the month of November, 54 miles walking with my pack and just shy of 540 miles on the bike. The walks for the most part are on recreation trails near my home in Bonita Valley. I've been carrying my pack with some of what will be in it on the Camino, about 15 to 18 pounds. For the first time I have a pack that has been fitted for me thanks to the folks at REI. A Osprey Stratos 36 liter with a hydration bladder. Currently I'm carrying a 3 liter bladder, but will downsize to a 1.5 liter for Spain. Anyway I've been testing my gear, packing it in different ways trying to find the best fit.
I have yet to be able to test my rain gear, something I must do before leaving for Spain. The problem is that here in Southern California, it rarely rains. The other morning I woke up with it pouring so I thought I would get the chance to test it out. I had planned on hiking in the mountains and that's the direction the rain was heading. Cathie and I drove in the rain to Cuyamaca State Park for our planned hike up Cuyamaca Peak and as soon as we arrived, the rain stopped. So, no test in the rain, but I did wear my rain jacket over my fleece for warmth. The route to the peak follows a fire road gaining 1725 feet in elevation in 2.75 miles, so it's pretty steep. With the workout climbing to the top, perspiration collects on the inside of the rain jacket, so I guess you could say it was raining on the inside as I was pretty wet upon gaining the summit.
Cuyamaca was decimated in the 2003 Cedar Fire and it shows. It will be many years before the forest recovers. I read somewhere that the fire was so complete that the pine trees will never regenerate without the planting of seedlings.
CATHIE IN THE CLOUDS
The 540 miles on the bike is nothing new for me as I've been riding it 3 times a week for about 4 years now, riding from my home to Coronado and back. The only new wrinkle is that I'm pushing myself more, trying to get my heart rate up and keeping it there for longer periods of time.
There seems to be a theme developing in the blog. I keep writing about the reasons as to why I'm doing this. I suppose it keeps showing up in these pages because I spend a lot of time thinking about my reasons for walking. When I talk to people about my walking 500 miles across Northern Spain, they usually ask two questions. First, "Why?" and second, "Are you crazy?"
There is no compelling reason as to why. Because I want to, because I can, or I have no idea. I suppose the idea appeals to me because it's a challenge. It's not a religious journey, and I don't have any spiritual reasons for walking, I just decided that it was something I wanted to do. Will it change me in some way? Perhaps, a little change will be a good thing. I'll just have to wait and see. Am I crazy? Could be. But aren't most of us just a little bit mad?
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