Walking in Someone Else's Shoes

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Originally this blog was going to be titled "when the cat's away" and I planned to write about some of the differences between my training style and his. I thought today would be good timing, since he and Rob are winging their way to Leon via Vancouver, Toronto and Madrid, leaving me with free reign on the blog. I still intend to do that, but as they say, "a funny thing happened on the way to the ..."

I dutifully saw the guys off...

grabbed a quick breakfast, then met my training partner, Mary at her house for an early morning walk. The goal was somewhere over 25 km, with a stop at a nice little restaurant she knows along the way. As I laced up my boots, I noticed something different - they weren't laced in the normal way...so I adjusted and carried on. I have to say they felt a little different too, but it was early and I just kinda ignored it. We headed out, taking a pause early on to see if I could tighten my boots a bit more. By this time I had a sneaking suspicion that these weren't actually my boots, and when I checked the size label, sure enough they were a men's size 11...quite different from my women's size 9. Mary offered me a pair of her boots, but we were on our way now and they really didn't feel too bad. I had my own orthotics in them, and aside from being a bit roomy (and a little heavy) they seemed fine. I wasn't totally committed to a long walk in today's heat and figured the boots could be just the excuse I needed to shorten our goal. I'm happy to report that both the boots and I held up for the whole duration so Geoff now your boots have an extra 26 km on them. And i didn't even acquire any blisters!

Mary and I met in May...Geoff and Rob were walking around the lakes in one direction, and I was walking in the opposite direction. Mary was a little ahead of me, and she stopped to ask me to take a picture of her and her friend. We soon discovered she was planning to walk the Portuguese at the same time as us, and was in need of a training partner...the rest, as they say, is history.

 Our training  has been somewhat gentler and has included more of a gastronomic element than Geoff and Rob's. 

Although no food appears in these pictures, rest assured we have eaten well while we've walked.

After all, when we're in Spain and Portugal we will need to eat,  and I think we need to practice that as well - although I'll admit we haven't yet taken ourselves to a Spanish restaurant. 

Mary has managed to fit in some shopping, too.

And both Mary and Rob like to take in the view at the lake.

As do I 

Maybe next week Mary and I will find a Spanish lunch...Mary is insisting we do a 30 km outing, which could easily take us to one of the Spanish places downtown. 

We're getting lots of practice walking in the heat, though...25 degrees when walking with Rob on Saturday, and the thermometer in the car registered 33 degrees on my way home today! Rob and Geoff have left, and I'm feeling close to ready. I think I'll use my own shoes from here on though.

Walking It Out

When the kids were in their later teen years and well involved in everything, we looked to have a bit more time with them to simply hang out. Caitlin decided that we should join her to watch Grey's Anatomy on Thursday evenings. I recall that during the program whenever there was a crisis that had settled and everyone wanted to feel better they just "danced it out". Seems simple enough. Last night I found myself having a fretful sleep after having dealt with something that has been on the back burner for a time and finally came to a boil the last couple of days. Somewhere in the night I decided that I'd head out the door early without a plan and just see what developed. I hadn't planned to walk before departing for Spain this Thursday as our Camino amigos, Neil from Canberra and Ken & Christine from Regina, had just departed following numerous walks together. 

This photo was taken after Ken presented Neil (2nd from right) with a Canadian Tilley hat, thus making him an honorary Canadian. Sarah, we decided that you will have to venture north in order to be bestowed with a similar honour! 

As I said, we walked and walked! Ken has done an excellent job of reviewing our many kilometres in his own walking blog, so I'll just tuck in a few photos.

Of course, there had to be a photo of the Tres Amigos who are looking a little like a dull grey Three Muskateers! We are hoping to reconvene in Valencia, Spain in the spring of 2018 to walk the remote 1,300 km Camino Levante coast to coast. We will be tossing a coin to see who gets to be which Muskateer!

As I said, I'd been feeling well prepared when our Camino buddies departed and had decided to essentially curtail walking until arriving in Spain. Annemarie had arranged to walk with Rob today as he completed his preparations, and they walked much of the Esker Walk that I recently blogged, and did very well. Apparently Rob made some sort of comment that Geoff never stops for lunch on a training walk. Ha, he should read my last post...photo evidence!!

So, I headed out early this morning and found my way heading towards the water. I was a little tired of walking trails, roads and climbing closed in forest trails, and walking along the water is usually fresh on a hot day and wide open. 

It felt really strange heading out the door without my pack and poles and I almost went back for them, but today it wasn't that type of walk. This walk was to clear my mind and to prepare myself to head off in just 5 days to walk Camino (Spain) and Caminho (Portugal). A beautiful morning and I eventually decided to continue on all the way round the coastline until I arrived downtown (that would be the CBD to our Aussie friends!). 

I could have stopped to play chopsticks!?

Or perhaps enjoyed a cup of tea with these two?

But I had a purpose today, and so I walked on as the thermometer slowly climbed.

Across the cliff tops...

and out to the end of the breakwater where I made a point of finding a bench plaque that had so entertained Christine last week. Great advice! My father would like this.

Then it was into the harbour area where I found all sorts of touristy things happening as the Blackball Ferry departed for America.

There were dragon boat racers waiting for the harbour to clear...

but first the dance of the water taxis had to finish.

They were sailing along with different dance formations just like the RCMP Musical Ride with music blaring across the harbour!

I walked on to a well known bookstore to see if they still carried a certain discontinued Camino map book for my friend Ken, but alas they were all out and I'm afraid getting a copy is now very difficult.  Sorry Ken. I headed for home where I washed all my Camino clothes and hung them outside to dry. Still a few things to do before Rob and I depart early Thursday morning and some special guests arriving Monday from the Netherlands. However, today's walk did for me what it always does. I'm feeling ready to go again having "walked it out". 

Next report from Leon, Spain!!!

Tramping The Esker!

With only four weeks from today until Rob and I depart, finding interesting walks to keep myself motivated while preparing body and mind becomes a bit more challenging. The lakes are nice, but walking round and round in a circle very soon looses its appeal. Some time in the last couple of weeks I decided to resurrect a walk I sorted out prior to walking our first Camino in 2013, but with add ons and a few modifications. A couple of weeks ago I set out to tackle it, but an intestinal bug forced me to cut the walk short. It was an interesting experience, hopefully not to be repeated! However I was still determined to walk the route, but this time with changes to the original plan which had included a 10 km loop around the lakes. This time I decided that I could walk all the way from our house thereby cutting out the lake loop and adding on a couple of kilometres in the process. 

The theme behind this walking route was to follow the esker that runs from just north of our place all the way out the Saanich Peninsula to the Island View Beach area and back, a distance of about 32-34 kms. Once upon a time this area had between 1.5 and 2 miles of continental ice loaded on top of it. Global warming in those days was just a dream! As the planet slowly warmed and the ice sheets began to melt and slowly withdraw all that water had to run somewhere. And it did. Underneath the massive ice sheets were huge rivers doing all those things that rivers do...eroding and depositing. So over time river channels were cut under the ice sheets and after the ice disappeared, voila! There sat these long winding landforms that look like inverted river channels. I know, how cool is that!? 

My plan was to walk out to the esker and climb and descend it a number of times as I followed its ancient route. I decided to treat the day as I would a day on Camino. So last night I put all my gear out ready for the morning. I woke early as is my custom, quickly dressed and enjoyed a quick desayuno of tostadas, tè y zumo de naranja (toast, tea and orange juice). This will be our typical breakfast. If lucky perhaps some yogurt or an egg might be possible. In any event I was out the door at around 7am and feeling the freshness of the morning. It was going to be a hot day on the trail. 

After finding my way through suburbia it was onto the Lockside Trail which during the work week is used as a bike commuting corridor. The accepted norm is to walk and ride on the right side of the trail, but I've had so many negative experiences with bikers racing up behind me and not having the courtesy to have a bell to alert me that I've taken to walking just like a I would on a road...facing oncoming traffic. Better to see what's coming! No one seems to mind and so far everyone has pulled out to go around me...thank you very much!

I was soon crossing the trellis over the bird sanctuary which is alway a nice way to start a walk out the trail.

The wet lands are actually quite stunning with lots of bird life. A bird viewing blind has also been constructured and I've stopped to look many times when I pass this way. Never disappointing. 

The trail walk was pretty nice and it was fun to see the locals selling flowers and produce along the way. 

Eventually I came to a road off the trail and began to climb, and climb! Once all the ice is gone, the sides of an esker are very steep. If these photos don't capture this, the last one should give you a hint.

I wonder if these people even know they are living on the edge of an esker? Also some interesting garden shapes...not sure how I saw this!?

A road sign on the way up. Keep in mind that the road traverses the slope.

Finally at the top and I walked along the ridge for a couple of kilometres before starting the steep descent into Cordova Bay.

Lots of houses being built on the steep slope. Not for me as I'd be thinking about the house possibly sliding with gravity during the next big earthquake!! But until that eventuality, great views out towards our local volcano (not dormant!!). 

A neat thing about the Lockside Trail is that you can be walking down a long tunnel of trees...

...and then suddenly you find yourself walking through farm land! That's the soft slope side of the same meandering esker in the distance. The other side drops a long way to the ocean.

A great climb up to the top nonetheless. The field irrigation in the distance crossed the road and nicely cooled me down! It was getting close to 30 in the open along the road. Hotting up!!

View from the top.

Then it was time to loop back and head towards the city and home.

Another small stand and a patient customer.

Other wildlife along the way.

And yes Annemarie, I'm working on stopping while I walk...Adrian's Place for a little protein and a very welcome cold water. I carried 1.5 litres today and drank most of it as well as this cold top-up.

A few other observations as I plodded home in the heat today. Never know what I'll see out there...endless fun!

 

I eventually found my way home and had an ice cold shower and a light meal with lots of hydrating fluids. Now I'll post this and retire to my bed for a while.

Just like a regular Camino day. Just 27 days to go! 

Looking forward to your visit Neil! Shake that jet lag off quickly mate...lots of trails just waiting for you!!