Blogs from Benton, Arkansas, United States, North America - page 2

Can't believe it's almost time to "Put the seat backs up into their full upright position" for takeoff . It's becoming real, We are about to Walk the Talk . I just hope we can do this . Please ,Don't misinterpret my doubt as lack of confidence , I have every bit of confidence I can get to France in good shape ,, its the walk up the mountain that has me concerned . But hey , if Napoleon Bonaparte can make it so can Laurie & I . I'm 100% sure Laurie can. Here's how its going to happen. On the 26th of Sept in the morning after breakfast we will start heading out of St Jean and go west taking the Route Napoleon . Normally , a person will hike it in one day ... read more

So the battle of the backpack begins . Laurie has her's packed snuggely so she good to go. I on the other hand have way to much STUFF for my backpack . Unfortunately all the stuff is essential so I can't discard a thing . I totally miscalculated on the size backpack I will need. The miscalculation starts with my having to haul my CPAP w/breathing hose and power converter , which is taking up more room then expected .Also bulky are my meds..well not so much the pills themselves rather the bottles they come in. I need the pill bottles for the trip to prove to the TSA Peeps that I am not a drug smuggler . Once I arrive in France I can discard the bottles and sort out my daily allotment of pills ... read more

It's seems that it always comes down to doing many "Things" and taking care of important "Stuff" just before the trip no matter how diligent one is in planning ahead of time, or at least it seems that way to me . . We have a billion things to do and have to gather together alot of stuff . Things & Stuff tend to multiply exponentially as the time allowed to do them diminish . For instance , One of the THINGS I still have to do is get my boots broken in and another THING I have to do is decide which two of the three pairs of boots I plan to take. We have to get our STUFF weighed and arranged so we can maintain the proper backpack weight (15-18 lbs) and balance. It ... read more

In 2012 my knowledge of the Camino was solely based on on the movie "The Way". The movie is great but the information one needs to really get their act together for the Camino cannot to be found there . The internet and a couple books have really helped me fill in the blanks about the "how to's " and sources that needs to be shouted out that have been helpful and entertaining For online social interaction and knowledge gathering there is NOTHING like Ivar Rekve's Camino forum . Free membership with access to folks who have been walking this Pilgrimage over the years and novices that are planning this trip . Here you will find everything you will need to do and not do for your trip . Soup to nuts . Also good for ... read more

A Wise Ole Sage from the wilds of North Carolina once told me that one should treat their feet as if they were a Cadillac . I always pay attention to Sage's . So here's the plan . 1) Take two pair of good sturdy , water resistant light weight boots 2) Take four pairs of socks . There's a billion types of hiking boots, shoes, sandels and socks to frustratingly choose from and none are cheap . You can wear through two pair of shoes in the 500 mile trek so having the right shoe & sock selection is the most critical part . I have worn though three pairs of boots in my two years of training , Laurie five or six pairs.. Socks . There's a couple ways to approach this , 1) ... read more