Departure date is coming right up!

Whew!  I can't believe that I am scheduled to be leaving a week from this Saturday!  Many 'letting go'  opportunities in this preparation process!  To revisit an earlier thought:  if my intention in walking is to pay respect to the planet, how do I do that (or not) as I am preparing to depart?  That has been a frequent question these days, the answer to which is often a little less than satisfactory!  The truth of the matter is that I am pretty darned scattered in my efforts to cover as many bases as possible as the departure date gets closer.  This diffusion of energy is punctuated by moments of mental paralysis, and then moments of stunning clarity (as I focus on my surroundings and the many things I love about my day to day life.)  Let's just say it's been a bit of a roller coaster!

Departure strategy has been amended from the original plan to walk east from San Francisco.  I will instead be taking the train to San Luis Obispo and starting out from there.  This eliminates the question about which mountain passes are open, and a potential long detour in the event of a last minute spring storm.  I can walk from Avila Beach back to SLO on my first day, thus starting from the coast.  The first large town on the route will be Bakersfield, and I'll angle up to U.S. Rt. 6 from there...  Next blog post may be from 'the road'!!

Ai Weiwei '@ Large' at Alcatraz!  This exhibit is SO worth the trip - very powerful!  (I got to see it with an out-of-town guest who wanted to go to Alcatraz.  It's going on until April 26th, I think.)

This whole mural is all made of legos! Representing people who have been incarcerated or persecuted for exercising free speech.

Gratitude Check-in: New training regimen, on-going supports.

Well, time is marching on, as they say, and it is a mere eight weeks until my proposed departure date(!)  There is very much to be grateful for these day, I notice.  (This is not only due to the imminent (albeit temporary) renunciation of some of my favorite comforts.)

First - a big thank you! to Sarah, the excellent trainer I have been working with at 24 Hour Fitness, who took on my project of preparation for this journey, and gave me many very helpful suggestions (some of them obvious, as in 'duh - why didn't I think of that myself!?'), so that I can use the next weeks as effectively as possible.

Another big thank you! to my employers Joye and Tony, at Inzana Ranch and Produce, who, when I confessed that I would be away for the rest of this year after March, zeroed right in on ways they could be supportive.

Then there are the many friends who have contributed to my fund-raising efforts, both directly and via offers of gainful employment!  I have enjoyed donated bodywork, synchronicity in planning, and a whole lot of moral support.

But I reserve the biggest thank you! for my sister Annie, who despite initial reservations about this business, has been a wholehearted champion of the various causes coming into play here.

Sometimes I feel exhilarated and energized; sometimes I feel terrified.  But, in any case, my love and appreciation are boundless!

Sarah, turning up the heat in my training regimen!

My co-worker Roberta, at our VA Hospital Wednesday Farmers' Market.

Sister Annie in 'gratitude context' - Thanksgiving day dinner!

Live and learn - best to re-commit to that practice now!

As my Facebook friend Walkin' Don Moseman* emphasized, it will be of primary importance to '...listen to your body; pay attention to your body.'  Typically, I think I am already doing that.  And to some degree it's true.  But lately I've had the opportunity to further sharpen that skill...

Regular visits to the fitness center continue, and have been good therapy in many ways; however, a particular stretching exercise I've been doing seems to have had a detrimental effect.  Luckily I've noticed the connection, and found another way to do the same stretch.  Clearly, healing is happening now, with a little help from acupuncture and KT tape.  But here's the thing - it's time to resume those practice walks, and the question is:  how far and/or vigorously shall I exercise while still slightly injured?  The obvious answer - listening to my body!

*Walkin' Don has crossed the U.S. on foot multiple times.  On meeting him (a big, strapping, long-legged fellow of about 6'5") I could see why he was able to cover as much as 50 miles in a day(!)  My own ambitions fall a bit short of that!

Unseasonably warm night with no wind at all; at a bayside restaurant we actually sat outside - in December!

A Walk in the Park!

Yay!  Today was an important milestone, in that I took the newly assembled walking trailer for a 'test-drive' through Golden Gate Park to the beach (Java Beach Cafe, to be exact) and back to my house, for a modest distance of about 7 miles. I will now (formally) stop numbering practice walks, although there have been a couple.  Distance has not always been the main focus, and today was specifically for trying out the trailer, weighted with 35 lbs. of kitty litter(!) and approximately10 lbs. of other stuff.

Amazing!  This is such a brilliant piece of equipment.  It maneuvers very smoothly; I could even negotiate curbs without too much trouble and barely felt bumps on the paths/walkways.  Inclines were pretty easy, although I know that more weight would make a difference.  The only way I noticed my gait being affected, was that the natural swing of the arms has to avoid those handles when they're not being used.  Seemed like a pretty minor adjustment, though.  Suffice it to say that I was more than satisfied with the test outcome.  Check it out!

Fall Colors!

Many inquiries over the past year finally paid off with usable info on the Climate Summit at the United Nations, and the preceding huge climate rally in NYC.  I was fortunate to be able to attend the rally - it was a great day - and I haven't heard any statements by the Summit attendees about how the week-long event evolved.  Did anyone in the media mention the Summit, except to cover the rally?  Well, it was a good trip east, with family and friend visits included, and a lot of trees changing color.

What now makes this walk one step more real is/was yesterday's delivery of my most important piece of gear - a walking trailer made in the Netherlands, by a company called Radical Design.  I seriously did not fine anything as well designed for my needs, and locally made.  Not even close.  I am quite excited about it and look forward to seeing it assembled!

Met another Bay Area resident in my same hostel.  And with the same Climate Flag.

I linked up with some folks from SF Zen Center

Practice Walk #5 and some musings...

Walk #5 to Tiburon by way of Sausalito happened as planned, on the 5th of this month.  A hiking-friend and I parted company at the Sausalito ferry, and I made it to Tiburon in time to catch the 5:00 (PM) ferry to the SF Ferry Building.  Another (approximately) 17-mile day.

Regarding the physical challenges of distance walking, especially over the course of days, weeks, and months(!):  Though it feels as if I am no longer young, I remember that I wasn't young on my last pilgrimage either!  Suffice it to say I am not one of those lucky pain-free individuals, but so far am encouraged enough to think that a combination of conditioning and faith might carry me along for a while!

Supports, Therapies and Practice Walk #4

The walk last week was a variation on my usual theme of crossing the GG Bridge, only this time I did it twice!  And realized that, iconic though the site may be, the walk is actually not very pleasant, being quite noisy and crowded.  It's worse on the southbound leg, as one is walking against traffic, and getting an extra dose of wind and exhaust...  Nevertheless, the plan was to walk to the library in the town of Sausalito and then reverse the trip, making it just a little shy of 18 miles (edging a bit closer to 20.)  A friend wants to take part of a day's trek with me this week, so I/we will be back on the bridge, with my ultimate destination being the Tiburon ferry.

OK, so we don't need any more photos of the bridge, but here are a few of my other support activities, for the sake of diversity!  

Fuzz therapy! - working with 'under-socialized' kittens at the SPCA

Since I turned 65 my gym membership is FREE(!) with the insurance I have...)

Running/jogging in the woods near my house.