4 weeks out. Training, Planning, Psyching.

Great practice hike on a sunny Whidbey morning.
Date: Mar 30, 2017

Distance: 14.01 km

Duration: 2:21:50

After thinking and talking about this project for years, it is finally transitioning from the hypothetical to the real, not without some trepidations.

I won’t be alone out there.  Last year there were over 240,000 pilgrims that checked into the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela. Over 65% started from St. Jean Pied de Port, where I will start on May 2nd of this year.

The planning/packing process for a long hike, sometimes called a “thru hike”, is an exercise in dilemma.  The well prepared pilgrim brings along all of the essentials for 5 weeks of daily living out of a backpack.  He/She also limits their backpack weight to something less than 20% of their body weight. Less is better.  In her book “Wild”, Cheryl Strayed started out on the Pacific Crest Trail with a fifty pound pack that she called “Monster”.   This was a good tutorial on how not to prepare for a thru hike.

My training continues several times a week.  I should be reasonably in shape by the time I hit the trail. IPhone and wi-fi be willing, I will periodically post my experiences on this blog.   I  will also keep a running log of waypoints here.

I hope you will subscribe and share this adventure with me vicariously.

Buen Camino,

-jgp

Current Location: Home on Whidbey Island