Saturday, September 3, 2016

First stop Paris



Well, I'm back again and setting off for Compostelle part 3.  I haven't hiked much this summer, with even fewer dog-walks that usual because of the heat, so my weekday half-hour workouts at the gym are going to need to kick in.  I will be walking from Moissac to Aire sur l'Adour, which is some 205 km by car, but I won't be taking the highways, so it is hard to gauge how far I'll be actually walking. The pilgrim route often winds through the countryside, and, depending on who owns the land that it traverses through, may get re-routed slightly from time to time to accommodate the current needs and requirements of the stakeholders. For the previous portions of my walk, from Le Puy-en-Velay to Conques (crossing the Massif Central) and then skirting the cliffs of the Célé Valley variant to Moissac, it has been quite hilly.  After Moissac, the terrain is supposed to flatten out considerably for awhile, some say like Iowa, so I'm counting on that.





my upcoming route

 
"Hiking" with dogs at Lake Frank




I've kept in touch with other compostella/camino fans by helping administer the CAMIGAS-A Buddy System for Women on the Camino and the Way of St James - Via Podiensis - Chemin du Puy-en-Velay Facebook groups.  It has also been a good way of learning from others who have walked before me.



I've had a lot of other issues to deal with this  summer, so am looking forward to my trek, except that I am going to miss my two favorite doggies!





Jacques

Zoë








But then five days before I was set to depart, I managed to trip on the bottom step of the staircase in my townhouse, sprain my ankle and injure my bad knee. I spent four hours in terrible suspense at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital awaiting my fate--sprain or fracture? Will I be able to follow through with my plans for walking from Moissac to Aire sur l'Ardour? I'm planning to, at any rate. I will likely have to have my back back transported, at least for the first day or so, but only time will tell...



I don't think the sprain is a bad one--the funny goose-egg on the outside of my left ankle has subsided, and I now have a cushy splint to wear inside my boot.  I also have some ankle exercises to do 3 times a day as well, but now, after hiking this far, I think doing exercises like this is probably a very good idea...














Yesterday I spent the day getting my telephone, Internet and tv access restored, and this evening I have been pouring over the maps, calculating and recalculating distances, trying to ascertain if there will be good rest-stops at regular intervals.






 


I am not taking my Samsung Galaxy tablet with me this time, and will only be taking my so-called smartphone, to save several ounces--almost a pound actually--but the blog software doesn't work as well on it.  I've downloaded another software that is supposed to worker better with Blogger on an android, so we'll see... I hope to be sending out something daily to anyone interested once I start walking, and will "clean it up" when I get back like I did last year.  I'm assuming my telephone and wifi connections will be better since I won't be in a mountainous region. Famous last words, as they say...





The other possible issue is that France is experiencing a mini heat wave.  It has cooled down incrementally, but it is still hotter than it normally is this time of year. On the trail, my habit has been to do most of my walking in the early morning, stopping for lunch, and then ambling a little long as most gîtes in France don’t open until 2-3 pm at the earliest.  In anticipation, I’ve done a long range weather forecast, but that is usually speculation.  My treks in the past have also been at higher altitudes with cooler temperatures. As a result, I’ve discarded several items from my backpack which I presumably won’t be needing in the warmer weather, reducing its weight some more—a good thing!

Yes, Paris is a different place than I normally experience in September.  Watching people in their estival attire and sandals allows me to enjoy the city in summer, as it seems too often autumnal when I am here. And the balmy weather appears to have put everyone in a good mood—so I am not complaining!



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