Getting Close!

Seeing my count down on below 60 days is exciting!! I can't help being super excited and wishing that time would just fly by. Right now, I am having these crazy dreams about all things that can go wrong. The last one I had was about how I missed my plane by 1 whole day! I was NOT a happy "hiker" in my dream.

Took my first hiking adventure with a mostly loaded pack (I have little things to get yet) on Saturday. There were several things that I had to do in order to make sure that I was ready:

1) Look at what I had, weight each piece, and put it into my spread sheet that I made to calculate the totals

2) Find out how to pack everything, and actually pack it.

3) Get snacks and water for the "wonderful" adventure.


1.....Even though I weighed everything already, I wanted to do it again to make sure that I accurate the first time. Well, I wasn't. I put the weight into my spread sheet that calculated everything. I'm not doing too bad. I only have few little things to get. There will enough weight left for food and water. There is about 1.5 kilos left to my "weight limit". 

Here is what I am taking so far...

2....YouTube was a great help to know how I should pack everything. It wasn't too difficult really. Sleeping bag on the bottom, heavy things towards my back, lighter things away from my back, and frequently used things on the very top. I did find out that my pack is way too big. It is barely half full! I don't know if you can tell it from the picture, but there it is. 

I ordered a new pack...a Gregory J38 to be exact. This one should be a better fit in the torso, and it's smaller in liters (38L vs. 45L) The best part is that it's purple.  While I was ordering, I went ahead and got a couple of "dry sacks" to keep my clothes and sleeping bag dry and clean. 

3....Candy and I had a great time hiking Saturday. We made it 8 miles with our packs! Whoot Whoot!! The creeks were flowing beautifully. It seems that my running has paid off. 

I was able to do the 8 miles without being "spent". However, I did notice some "hot spots" on my feet. Maybe tapping the problem areas each day will help prevent blisters. From everything that I am reading, taking care of my feet should be the number one priority.

Spartan Race Complete!

Well, I went and conquered the Spartan Race. It wasn't as nearly as bad as I thought it would be. All I know is that I didn't have the strength that I thought that I did. Trying to get over some of those walls and pull the sandbag was hard. The running wasn't that bad. Although, it was NOT a 5k! The race was 4.5 miles! It was fun though and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

The hardest part was crawling under the barbed wire with gritty and stone filled mud. I have so many cuts from that part. the burpees were not that bad. No one was watching over you to make sure that you did them by the book. This was to my benefit, hehehe.

Injuries: lots of scraps and cuts from the horrible gritty mud crawl, very sore muscles, and some bruising.

Total Number of Burpees: 5x30 = 150

How did this prepare me for my pilgrimage?? Maybe it gave me the boost to get into shape otherwise I'm not too sure. 

Don't worry, I didn't forget about the pictures....here they are: 

Before. Look how clean we look :)

Coming down from a rope climb and pool of mud. 

My buddy was tired and ready to be finished.

This was an easy obstacle.

The "lovely" barb wire and mud pit. Here is where 80% of my injuries occurred. 

We finished! Yay! 

Now bring on the Camino! I'm ready! 

Cathedrals, Poles, and Glasses vs. Contacts

Getting things crossed off my list just reminds me that I will be leaving before I know it! Oh, how I can't wait...in just 3 more months I will be taking my shell off my rear view mirror to attach to my pack!

In just 3 months, I will be seeing the beautiful country side of France and Spain along with some awesome cathedrals. I think that is what I want to see the most. Being able to see these amazing structures that were created to glorify God just gets me "all riled-up".  Here is just a preview of what I'm going to see (hopefully go inside to explore and partake in a pilgrim's service):

This is St. James' Cathedral to mark the end of the journey.

This is inside a cathedral in Burgos

This is just somewhere along the way. Don't know where, but I want to go inside ;)

This shows all the cathedrals that I will pass. I know that it's not a great picture, but it gives you an idea of what I'll be seeing. 

Moving on before I get lost in looking for more pictures.....

Candy asked me if I would like to go shopping with her for some gear Sunday, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to see what else I needed. While we were there, Candy looked at trekking poles which reminded me that I needed to get a better set. The ONE that I bought without really doing my homework is bulky and heavy...the moral of the story kids is to never buy trekking poles online. I was trying not to spend too much money on poles, but that didn't work very well. If I wanted the kind that I truly needed, it was going to cost me a little bit. So here is what Candy and I both ended up getting:

They are Black Diamond Trekking Poles. They are adjustable from 100 cm to 120 cm I believe. They are very lightweight at only 17oz. Plus the poles collapse. 

Just in case you haven't heard...I was able to make my reservation at Orisson (a private hostel along first day)! It just made it seem more real and unbelievably close. Making the reservations were easier than I thought. You just have to email them from their website with your information. Then they email you back with an invoice to pay through PayPal. Couldn't be simpler.

Click on the picture to go to their site. The hostel looks beautiful.

Candy did find some information that said the hostel gives you a 5 minute token to do ALL of your washing. Oh boy! I will be coming up with a plan because it could end badly. I will also have to think about maybe getting some food at the markets in Saint Jean before we head out since I don't know what the meals are going to be anything that I can eat. 

A summer trip means lots of sun, right? Well, that means sunglasses. Since I wear glasses, I will have to have clip-ons.....not my favorite choice. I thought that I would get around that by wearing contacts. I needed to get some for my mud run next month, so I thought that I would give them a go over the weekend to see if I could handle wearing them everyday for 6 weeks. The answer is a big fat NO! Ever since I got an infection in my eye from contacts several years ago, contacts became extremely uncomfortable and still are apparently even with "dailies". All well....back to glasses. It was a nice thought though. 

I do have to say that I will miss this little girl right here while I am gone:

The Weight Dilemma

Two posts in one week. Wow! What has gotten into me? Oh yeah, excitement. This post was carefully crafted with a clingy dog that has commandeered my lap and hand (she's laying on my hand while in my lap) for her comfort.

It's getting about that time....getting my pack the right weight. I started weighing the items that I already have. My pack empty alone is 2kg. That means I am only "allowed" 3.44kg of stuff in my pack. Well, now that I think about it....I will probably want it less than that because of water and food that I will be carrying from day to day. This is going to be an interesting task...

So far, I am at 2.18 kg. This may be a problem since I have several other items coming in the mail (still more that I have to get from the store) that I will need to put inside my pack. There will be some major case of prioritization. With the help of experienced Camino pilgrims I should be able to shave off a few grams here and there. However, it felt did good to mark more things off my packing list.

 I think that I got all the items that can from Amazon, the rest I can get from the store. Wow, I'm actually just about finished shopping! *super excited face* This just hit me....

Amongst the many conversations that I have been having with Candy about our trip, the topic of "why" came up recently. "What are you going to tell the people at the end of the pilgrimage why you did this?" asked Candy. This is something to think about. I know that this is something that God wants me to do, but I am not sure why. It just got me thinking about what is the purpose of this pilgrimage. This has caused me to start praying more about my trip. There's such a sense of expectation.

A friend of mine just asked me if it seemed real that I'm going or not. Well, now that I have my plane AND train tickets it does seem real. "Holy Toledo! I'm going to be gone for six weeks! It's really happening!" was the first thought that came to my mind. As the time gets closer, I am sure that the anticipation of it all will become greater and I will get where I can't sleep from the excitement. As for now, I just sit and dream about what it's going to be like. I know that it's not going to really be like "The Way" (the movie), but my imagination of the whole adventure still pretty romantic and unrealistic.

(I hope this post is long enough for you Mrs. Janet)

Got the Train....A Little Bit Closer Now

I just purchased my train ticket to take me to Bayonne from Paris! *squeak*

Once my friend decides when she wants to start walking, I will be able to make the reservation at Orrison. This is so exciting!!!!

It's getting so close I can almost taste it!

Five More Months

This past week it just hit me...I only have 5 months until my trip! It seems like yesterday I was planning for a trip that was 2 years away. Now I only have 5 months! This means that I need to start making sure that I need to start gathering those "little" things that are on my packing list. After I get everything, I will need to start analyzing the items to make sure that I really them--no need to take unnecessary items that add extra weight to my pack. Then I will need to find the best way to pack it all. I can't believe it's getting close enough for me to even think about such things!

Training is going as well as could be expected.Trying to make sure that I train in the cold is really tough. I had to get some gear to make sure that I don't get too cold while on my runs. Next week might be a little tougher since the wind chill will be below zero for a few days (one of those days is supposed to be my running days) which means I will have make alternative plans. My focus is mainly on my Spartan race in March. I mean, if I can consistently run a 10k then surely I should be able to WALK many miles each day. The full pack isn't really an issue. During the past summer I was able to consistently hike over 10 miles with a 15 pound pack. When I'm gone, my pack should way only about 12 pounds at most.

My dad gave me an Ipod so I can take pictures and video while I am gone. Hopefully I will be able to keep everyone update here this way. The other option is to email all the pictures to myself and do my postings when I get back. We'll see how good the wifi is in rural parts of France and Spain.

I mine as well face it...my Spanish skills are going to stink! Every time I post, I keep on saying that I need to start my Spanish podcasts. But do I?? NOOOOO! Procrastination has been getting the better of me. Someone is going to have to keep me accountable and ask me about my Spanish or it might never get done. It would be awful to go and not know how to say anything but my name, where I'm from, what my job is, and if I like my job.

Several people have asked me what I'm going to do about food since I have to get gluten free. Well....I plan on eating a lot of yogurt, fruit, vegetables, and nuts for sure. There are a lot of little markets along the way which enable me to stock up on needed food items that I can eat during the day. Also I found these cards, in Spanish, that explain what I am not able to eat and why if Candy and I decide to go to a cafe or restaurant.

               

 

The journey in planning and preparing for this trip has been so exciting. I keep picturing in my mind what it's going to be like and the things that I'll get to see (mainly the old churches along the way), not to mention the different types of people that I'll meet. These 5 months can't go by fast enough! I get excited just to see the number of days decrease on my "count down"!!

Just a little update....

Here's just a little update on what's been going on lately....

Training is the focus. I already have all my big things, so it's just a matter of gathering the small things when it gets closer to leave.

As you know, I am doing a mud run to help train for this pilgrimage. Let me tell you...it's tough trying to run a 10k. Right now I have trained my body for a 5k which is still tough. Now I have to be able to double to distance. If you see some skinny "kid" running around the neighborhood in the cold you know why....it's me trying to get reading for this mud run. I think that I am getting runner's knee though....yuck! After researching how to treat this, I am going to have to start strengthening my quads. Lets hope that this is an easy fix.

My partner in crime has injured herself, AGAIN! Now I have no running partner until after Christmas...way to go Rebecca!

For this Christmas, my mother and have decided to take a trip "home" to Michigan. By the time that we go, I should be able to run a 10k. It will be nice to run on flat land for a while even if it will be in super cold weather.

I want to be able to stay in the Scriptures and prayer while I'm gone. I would love to be able to find the Common Book of Prayer of Liturgy of the Hours in a pocket version. This would be the best way to do this. However, if I am not able to find one then I will have to do something else. Maybe one of those pocket Psalm/New Testament bibles.