This months training included 104 miles on foot and 243 on the bike. I am now able to power up the hills on my hikes, but I'm still pushing the bike up.
I bought new Keen Boots and have been breaking them in. I've worn Keens for years and they have never given me problems with one exception. When walking to Yuma 2 years ago, my feet swelled due to all the walking and I got blisters under a couple of toenails. So this time the boots are a half size larger and that seems to be working. My new rain gear was tested in a light rain and it is working better that the previous rain jacket. Hope for some heavy rain before I leave, or I'll just have to wear it in the shower. Walked on a couple of cold mornings and with a fleece and the rain jacket over it I stayed warm.
Besides the airfare, which was purchased some time ago, I been making other arraignments to get myself to the start of the Camino in St. Jean Pied du Port on the French side of the Pyrenees. If all goes as planned it will go something like this:
Arrive in Madrid on 4/6 and spend one night in a hotel near the train station. In the morning, the B&B that Cathie and I will stay in at the end of the Camino has agreed to store a suitcase for me with my non-camino stuff. Then take the train to Pampalona where I will be met by Istvan. Istvan and his wife run a small pension that caters to Pilgrims on the Camino. He will take me to his pension, feed me dinner, breakfast in the morning and then drive me to St Jean Pied du Port where I will start. Here's a link to their place. CORAZON PURO
On the first day of the Camino, you can either cross over the Pyrenees on the Napoleon Route or take the route at a lower elevation which follows the highway. Weather permitting, I am opting for the Napoleon Route as the views are said to be spectacular. The route is steep with an elevation gain of about 4,000 feet. I will do it in two stages only walking about 5 miles on the first day to Orisson where I will spend one night in the Refuge there. REFUGE ORISSON. The next morning I will cross the Pyrenees into Spain. After that the only plans are to keep walking.
A little unsettling new is that the employees of the Spain's airports intend to going on strike on pre-set days in the next few months. One of the days they selected to walk off the job is April 6th, my arrival date. Here's hoping.
