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Planning Season
Eckhart Tolle tells us—when thinking of the future—that we plan in the now, in the present moment. He has been an inspiration in my life, and I do my best to embody this concept of planning, here and now. My 2018 planning season is mostly complete. Much of these past winter months I have stolen moments to plan for future travels. I know, right? If you’ve read my blogs before you’d get the sense that I never go anywhere—NOT! And as is my usual wont, I’ve planned a lot. Much of it in succession. The first flurry: A hands-on work project in Mexico with Grandma’s Rotary club, which happens…
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The Via De La Plata – Revisited
Introduction: I was recently asked to present my 2016 Via de la Plata trek in Spain, and I thought I would share my speech and slides in this post. I was one of seven presenters speaking on routes other than the most commonly walked, Camino Francés. My friend Laurie Ferris over at thecaminoprovides.com was one of the organizers of the event and had this to say about the event when she posted the slideshows on her website: “Our NorCal chapter of American Pilgrims on the Camino had its annual Welcome Home celebration event on November 11th, 2017 in Oakland. This year we had presentations on Camino routes “beyond the Francés.”…
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Preparing to Hike the John Muir Trail
Continued from, A Brief History of John Muir and the John Muir Trail I was originally inspired to hike the JMT thirty years ago when I first climbed Mount Whitney. On the mountain, I met a man who was just start ting his weeks-long trek of the JMT. I was hooked, but it took awhile for me to get back to that item on my ever-lengthy bucket list. Preparation to hike the JMT starts months in advance. I found that obtaining a wilderness permit can be the most difficult and confusing part of the whole process. There are very strict quotas for entering the Sierra Nevada wilderness, and the entry…
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Hiking the John Muir Trail – Early Days
I was freezing! Pondering this notion over and over in my head as I lay in my sleeping bag, I decided: Indeed, I am freezing! And freezing every night for the next two weeks was not going to be much fun. Did I underestimate the cold? Did I not pack the right gear? It was far too late for these questions.
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An Ambulatory Retreat: Hiking The John Muir Trail
My blog has been quiet these past couple of weeks, as I’ve been busy hiking the John Muir Trail (JMT). I’d like to spend a few posts sharing my latest adventure with you. These vignettes will, hopefully, inspire you to continue preparing for your own travel adventures. During a recent hike with like-minded local chapter members of American Pilgrims on the Camino, I first overheard the term ambulatory retreat used to describe walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain. An ambulatory retreat, in my mind, can be any trek out in nature. It is a restorative trek, a healing one. I don’t remember the woman’s name who used the term,…
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Packing List For The John Muir Trail
When it comes to a gear or packing list, I’ve become a minimalist. Most of what I know I learned from a British friend of mine who has an extensive adventure travel résumé. I’ve also learned from other friends and through my own trial and error from many years of backpacking, mountain climbing, foot racing, mountain biking, and even horseback riding.
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How to Train for the John Muir Trail
The Allure of the Trail Any serious thru-hiker will have the John Muir Trail on his or her bucket list. In a few short weeks I will begin hiking the 215-mile long trail for the first time. I am looking forward to my latest trip (of a lifetime) as I finish the last few weeks of my conditioning schedule. I want to share some thoughts on how to prepare for the John Muir Trail. Also known as the JMT, the John Muir Trail is considered to be a serious trekking endeavor. The trail’s website states that it “is the premier hiking trail in the United States. The trail starts in…
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How to Properly Train for Your World Travel Adventures
Last week, in my latest installment on preparing for world travel, I encouraged you to check with your physician or, at a minimum, do a very honest self-assessment before starting a conditioning schedule to meet your adventure dreams. This week, I’d like to discuss progressive training, a method of gradually conditioning your body, to meet the demands of your travel destination. I will also provide you with a generic training plan. In future posts, I will discuss specific goals like hiking the John Muir Trail in California and the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Though specific, the training methods for these locations can be modified to meet your needs.
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Awaken Your Travel Bug
Back in high school—oh, so many years ago—a friend of mine gave me a travel article his father had written about a trip to Hong Kong. Looking back, I realized that one article was the seed of my love of adventure and world travel, and it reinforced my own upbringing in which my father always wondered what was over the next rise. WHAT INSPIRES TRAVEL?
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Announcing SU CAMINO… in Hardcopy
The paper edition of Su Camino… is now available on Amazon.com. Su Camino… 20 Days – 785 Kilometers – Camino de Santiago A WHIMSICAL MIX OF PILGRIM RESOURCES AND CAMINO MUSINGS There are several options to obtain Su Camino… at Amazon.com: Kindle Edition, $3.49 FREE to subscribers of Kindle Unlimited Paper Edition, $7.95, £5.95, or €6.95 (FREE Shipping with Prime subscription) All feedback graciously encouraged and appreciated. An introspective global journey to awareness and self-discovery catalyzed by 20 summer days walking the Camino de Santiago, Su Camino… is one American baby boomer’s travelogue come preparation handbook full of Camino anecdotes and advice for the contemporary walker of “The Way.” Steeped…
