I’m going to keep doing this till I get it right LOL

So, hello friends and readers…most of my readers are my friends but, occasionally, a browser wanders through so, welcome all.

For those of you who have followed my adventures over the last two years unlike in my previous journeys there is, fortunately, no cathartic event swirling around me to add a poignancy to my journey. This year while I am sure it will have its moments is a trip to, hopefully, pretty much share, relax and enjoy.

To that point, regarding enjoyment, as many of you are aware from my previous travels, hiking is not an activity that is particularly kind to those of us who are a bit larger in stature. So, this year, I really attempted to focus on my training efforts to attempt to mitigate the physical stress of hiking. Well, just what does that mean one might ask.

Well, for me it has meant hiking about 300 miles in training both on level ground (where I trained for distance) and in the hills where I concentrated on the bane of my existence, walking uphill. I think I am in the best shape that I have been in prior to a hike though my general shape doesn’t show it LOL. Just before Labor Day I hiked 40 miles in one week with one 17 mile day (the single day being a personal best regarding distance). Bad news is that in the process I either bruised my heel or got some tendinitis in my Achilles tendon. So, rather than having a major workout push towards the end, I was laid up since then until this past week letting the heel heal (LOL). However, I did get 15 miles of good elevation work in this past week with minimal discomfort in the heel. In fact, the elevation walking versus flat surface actually seemed to aid in the healing process. So, I am relaxing this final week before the trek to allow the offending heal to hopefully mend the rest of the way.

Well that’s all for now. A couple of shout outs: first to my wife Kay for supporting me through the training, because it takes a lot of time to walk 300 miles; second to my hiking compañero, my son Stephen, he has made the elevation hiking much more pleasant as we have conversed on a variety of topics while trekking through the forests of East Tennessee. For all my regular readers, I hope your prior year has been a good one. One week from today 28-Sept-19 will be my first day on the hike, but third day in Spain. So, you might see something from me earlier if I see anything interesting in my trip across Spain. Otherwise, my next missive will be from the trail.