Planning and training

I did it again--I managed to write a blog entry and lose all the data!! So very annoying and I don't even have a copy in draft-mode because I was working "live" so to speak. I had written about the the watch I had bought--which I had bought primarily for its GPS function, but which also allowed me to keep a record of my average walking speed, distance traveled, time walked, altitude, etc., and also sported a compass. I can also use it to monitor my heart rate, but that requires wearing a strap around my chest, which seems a nuisance, so I haven't tried that mode yet. From the reviews I read, it appears that runners use the watch primarily for doing laps, and the GPS seems a bit clunky (like the Internet before the World Wide Web for those that remember those days), but it may prove useful. Remembering what the little symbols mean is a challenge, and I am still learning how to use it, so time will tell.

Here is a picture of the route that I plan to take plotted out by my computer using Google Maps.


I have also been continuing regular walks around Lakes Frank and Needwood, and hikes with various walking and hiking groups. Below are photos of a hike to Lock Raven Reservoir near Baltimore with the Silver Spring Outdoors Meetup group, followed by a visit to the nearby Boordy Vineyard.

Another outing has included walking the Underground Railroad Experience Trail to Sandy Spring with the Maryland/NOVA Seniors Hiking and Events group (below).  While having lunch at the Paradise Bakery, I ran into a former children’s librarian, Nora Caplan, who lives in the nearby Sandy Spring Friend’s House, and keeps busy volunteering at the Sandy Spring Museum, and free lancing for the Town Courier.  She was most interested when I told her about my plans to walk the Via Podiensis.

Apparently the local Quaker community would leave food for the slaves taking this route in the hollow of this tree

I have just ordered the French language e-book Chemin du Puy en Velay : 2013, Petit Futé from Amazon.  It is part of the popular French Petit Futé travel series and contains all sorts of useful information on the Via Podiensis including history, what to take, what to wear, how to get to Le Puy-en-Velay, sites to visit, restaurants, places to stay, and information on the various stages of the route.  Since I am planning on varying my itinerary and taking slightly shorter “stages” it is not quite as useful as I had hoped, but still very good on describing in prose what to expect in terms of terrain.

I have also ordered the Michelin guide, Chemins de Compostelle Le Puy-en-Velay Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, which looks like it will be good for maps of the various “stages” of my walk.  Unfortunately it was not available as an e-book.  Although the electronic format is not as convenient in looking up specific pieces of information, it is much lighter than taking the actual books because I can load many on my Samsung Tablet.  The indispensible Miam, Miam, Dodo guide I mentioned in an earlier post is also only available in book format, so I will need to photocopy the pages I need.

I posted a question in the Camino/ Via Podiensis/Le Puy/ Chemin St Jacques/ la Voie du Puy-en-Velay site on Facebook about night temperatures in October, and am now looking into a summer-weight sleeping bag because of the high altitudes.  My two criteria: the bag must be very lightweight and extremely compactible so that it will fit nicely into my backpack. I just ordered one on sale from a place called Next Adventure, a Portland, OR store, that I learned about through Amazon.com.  Ordering it directly from the store’s website saved $10 off the Amazon price!

I also managed to stumble upon a blog written by a woman from Bainbridge Island, Washington, who walked from Le Puy-en-Velay to Saint Jean Pied-a-Port on the Spanish border, in 2010.  For me, the curious thing about her blog is that she walked almost exactly the same distances daily that I plan to do in the fall, and stayed pretty much in the same towns, so her experiences are of great interest to me.  She apparently is quite a walker, and, for those interested in viewing her blog, it can be found at:
http://kitsambler.wordpress.com/