Miscellaneous musings and ramblings

To put your minds at rest, because I know you've been waiting with bated breath, Paul Bunyan is a nickname we've applied to one of our fellow travelers.  He's from Australia and honestly could play Paul with no props or makeup.  He's a very sweet man, so I brazenly asked him once when we encountered him on the trail how on earth he had been able to get through the skinny stiles.  He showed me the scratches on his massive legs.  I really think the answer is that his legs are so long that his torso started above the tops of the stiles and his only problem was the width of his legs.  Amazing. Also of note is that one of his walking buddies always wears a puffy BLUE jacket!

Our daily routine: We wake up sometime before 7 each morning, often after a restless sleep (which is surprising, isn't it, after all that walking), try to breathe through our stuffed up noses, have hot water and lemon (Tara) and coffee (me), decide what to wear (fleece? gaiters? rain pants?), go over the itinerary and cut out (yes, a sacrilege but something we've found to be very helpful) the necessary maps, etc. from the Coast to Coast book and place them in protective plastic, rearrange suitcases, shower maybe, then down to breakfast at 8, back to brush teeth and rearrange suitcases and packs again (this is the hardest part), lock them up (hoping we haven't forgotten anything we need that will require reopening), write our next B&B on our luggage tags and haul all 49 pounds of them down how ever many flights of stairs there are (very rarely there is a gentleman to help) to the lobby so the Sherpa Van can pick them up. We've got this part pretty well choreographed now.  Often the rooms are so small we have to do see do.  It's pretty funny when we miss a cue.  Laurel and Hardy-esque. Then comes the really fun part when we have to don everything and still be able to move:  pants, shirts, fleeces, jackets, hats, Buffs*, boots, gaiters, glasses, sunscreen and PACKS. Oops, I forgot the "departure pee."  God forbid we should forget and have to reverse this process.  It reminds me of getting the kids all set to go out in the snow and then one of them having the go to the bathroom :(.  Oh, and also the scanning the room to make sure we haven't left chargers, rocks, etc. At this point we're ready to take a nap, but of course it's time to start walking.

The secret to climbing is:

1. Put one foot in front of the other
2. Never look up to see how far you still have to go
3. Don't get emotional

Draft of the first part of our book on how to prepare for the Coast to Coast walk. This is a work in progress.

1. Build a mountain in your backyard of various-sized rocks, gravel and boulders, aim the sprinkler on it and run until a nice stream forms
2. Flood your lawn until it begins to float, creating an illusion of solidity. This is a good time to practice testing your footing using poles.
3. Put on the waterproof clothing you've bought, including boots, gaiters, pants and jacket;  stand in the shower for an hour to check it out.
4. Go to the store and purchase proper equipment and clothing.
5. Practice climbing up and down your mountain, starting with a couple of hours at a time and working up to 7-9 hours.  At least 10 times each hour, stop and open your umbrella, find the right page of your map and try to read it beneath its plastic cover;  replace map and umbrella.  NOTE:  Don't count this map checking as part of your walking practice. Another good map-reading practice is to turn your shower on as hot as possible, then stand in the steamed up bathroom and see if you can read the map.  Remember to use plastic cover.
6. If blisters develop even after using various sock combinations, changing shoes and applying Vaseline and moleskin, go online and order Compeed.
7. If traveling with a companion, it's advised to practice square dancing in advance.  The rooms are small, the bathrooms smaller and a modicum of grace in passing each other is helpful. This becomes even more essential when using walking poles.  When one person decides to change hands, the other must be able to nimbly do-see-do around behind while skillfully shifting poles without piercing partner. The advanced manual will go into proper pole etiquette in more detail.
8. For women only: at least once, go to a fairly popular park where people are regularly passing by, wearing all your pre-soaked hiking gear (including rain pants), find a friend to help you by standing guard, locate a place to squat, pretend to pee as fast as possible, place used TP into plastic bag and return to pocket, see how fast you can pull everything back up when your friends gives you the alert that someone is coming.  Look nonchalant. NOTE:  learn to identify poison oak, nettles, berry bushes and thistles.
9. Pack your suitcase with everything you think you can't possibly live without, then practice hauling it up and down several flights of stairs by yourself about 15 times.  Reconsider what's essential. Aim for about 20 pounds.
10. Don't buy any new equipment, including phones and cameras, just before leaving.  This also applies to apps and computer programs you might want to use during the trip.