Walking Journal and Walking Stories

Today was in the mid 60's and we decided to take our bikes for a dirt ride along the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. We started from Chesapeake City and rode to near Summit Delaware and back. It was starting to cloud up when we returned and it was getting a bit windy. SInce about 6PM the temp has plummeted to 40 and the wind is gusting to 35 mph.
Well, it was an enjoyable respite from the winter and , although it was nice, we know enough to never get real cocky and start doing gardening or start outside projects when theres still a month of winter left.

Lots of ruddies and bufflkehead ducks and geese all over . The snow geese are coming in for their stopover . Theyll be here till early March and then they head to Baffin Island

Some Canadian Geese have already returned to Glastonbury, CT>

We charge a 50 cent toll from every Canadian goose that stops by. All I have to do is figure out where I submit the invoices

Indulged in my first walk in ages yesterday.
I had an ulterior motive though.
A dear friend, far too involved in a custody battle between her daughter & her estranged husband rang me the night before ...
She was obviously going under. Way over the Richter scale for stress!
So she invited me over for lunch & I suggested we walk afterward.
"I'll wear my running shoes & you have yours on, too. We're going to walk!"
We had a lovely lunch (complete with a belated birthday cake. Thank you, D! )
Then we threw ourselves onto the streets of her suburb.
Stomped around at great speed.
Then we enjoyed an outdoor coffee at a local cafe.
Just as all the local children were being released from their schools.
Cars, parents & little kids everywhere!
But anyway, at the end of this little venture, she felt much better.
Phew.
There's definitely something to be said for walking.

There certainly is something to be said for walking as a stress reliever. While I was in the divorce process, I would walk 2 to 4 miles after midnight. I would put the dog in the house, lock the doors and walk. I still managed to be awake at 6 AM to take the kids to school.

Bravo MsOlga for using the weapon of walking to help a friend! :- D

Strategically well done!

Now there's a cue for a song if ever I saw one, POM.



But I wholeheartedly agree.
Walking is a fantastic de-stressor!
During the process of disentanglement from my last (incredibly convoluted ) relationship I was known to walk 12 km at a time! Sometimes more!
I may have been traumatized & off my face at the time, but I was fit as a fiddle from all the exercise.

Thank you, tsar!
I thought so, too.

I walked 8 kilometres with my friend C yesterday
First long walk I've taken since about 3 weeks ago.
And we kept up a pretty good speed, most of the way, too.

It was the most perfect Sunday morning. Sunny, clear blue sky overhead & no wind at all. And a complete surprise day, after a week of grey, rather miserable "indoor" days.
The streets were unusually busy for a Sunday. Packed, even. I guess everyone else was as charmed by the gift of such perfect weather as we were.

I'd planned to do lots of work in the afternoon (mow lawn, continue with the pruning, etc) but found I was a bit too pooped. I blame this annoying cold I caught a few days ago.
Ah well, best laid plans thwarted & all that....
I'm just debating whether to take another (not quite as long) walk in a little while. Today is almost as nice, just a wee bit windier.
Maybe.

Any of you walking at the moment?
What with it being spring in the northern hemisphere, I'd imagine you'd be itching to get out in the great outdoors again.

We have been so slack - no walks for ages - and only a year until Portugal! Plenty of tracks around the new place as well, in the 'foothills' of Mt Whitfield.

I totally forgot about that song! Thanks!

Oh I think you should motivate yourself, right this minute, hinge!
Just checked out your link.
Just one of the walks.
Looks wonderful!

And you're going to Portugal in a year's time?
What?!
Didn't you just arrive back home from your last trip about 5 minutes ago?
I am insanely jealous.

My pleasure, POM.
Patsy's terrific, isn't she?

Every two years we take 2 months off (by not taking any leave in the alternate year). We actually hate travel, but we do like making people jealous

Ha, well it definitely works on me, every single time!
Must be a terrible thing, having to force yourselves to be constantly taking these trips!

Your last one involved a lot walking.
Will Portugal be similar in that respect?

Yep, Mrs Hinge has a route planned, she's toying with joining it up to the Camino De Santiago again - an alternate to the route via Leon that we did in 2006. So at least a fortnight of walking again. Will try and find what she was looking at - I know it was coastal. North of Algarve? The only other concrete thing is two weeks of canal boat in Burgundy. Life is hard.

Yes, I can clearly see that, hinge.

However a fortnight of walking in Portugal does sound very exciting!
Do keep us posted as the time comes.
And after, realizing that during is not exactly possible.

I'm on Cape Cod for April vacation. We (40 retirees and I) went for a hike this morning in Chatham. On the trail we passed a small pox cemetery from 1766. Fascinating......

The Camino?! I am mightily envious.

My favourite piece of music (a whole c.d.) is based on Oliver Schroer's walk along the Camino. I am grateful I was able to attend a performance once. Spell-binding.

Finally did a good Urban trek in Cambridge (5.38 miles). I passed Harvard University, walked along the Charles, photographed baby geese, cruised through MIT and headed home along Mass Ave. Lovely Day for a walk! (finally)