What now allows me to build up my endurance is the levels of hiking offered by New Life. There are, depending on the group of guests (you can stay for as little as two days or as long as a month or more,) 4 or 5 levels of hiking, each about 5 miles long: advanced, advanced intermediate, intermediate, nature walk, and what is euphemistically the "alternate morning program."
In the alternate morning program walkers and guides agree to the length of a walk, and the kind of terrain we cover. Walking on the alternate morning program is how I could have a girl-friend talk with my guide Courtney on Friday.
Sunday morning, it was back to walking (I hesitate to call it hiking because we were on a gravel road.) Vermont is in the middle of a very unusual heat wave with temperatures forecast for around 90 F. So, I had company: three extraordinary and interesting women, ranging in age from 51-72. We were: a psychiatrist born in Russia, a lawyer born in Jamaica, and a business woman born in Hong Kong! Our current residences are California, Maryland, and Minnesota, and Maine. The best part: these wonderful women looked out for each other. "Do you have enough water?" "Do you want to walk down that hill because then you have to walk back up?"
That I can do any distance without being felled with low back pain is based on two things, The first is stretching. Every morning begins with an optional 30 minute stretching class. The morning stretching class begins at 7 AM, which is too early for this old night owl. I've had mixed success with doing my own stretching in my hotel room. Ultimately, I have to be able to translate this into something I can do without too much difficulty when I get home.If there is one thing I will appreciate when I get home Thursday evening it will be not having to set an alarm for 0640!
Using hiking poles continues to be part of improving my ability to walk a little longer every day. I walked with them through-out most of the Seacoast Community Chorus's Scandinavia tour. Most of the time I go walking in our neighborhood I use my poles, even if my neighbors tease me. My poles come apart so I can pack them in my suitcase when I travel.
I don't know how many sets of poles I've gone through over the years. I do know it is more than one, because my son Brian permanently borrowed my hiking poles when his first pair wore out midway though his thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2007. My current poles are from The Kittery Trading Post in nearby Kittery. If I remember correctly they cost about $75. But in the 10 years since I bought them the use of hiking poles has become more common; the price has come down. You can buy a reasonably decent pair for $20 at Walmart. I know because I have at least one Walmart pole in the back of my car.
If you feel like you are losing your ability to walk long distance because of back, leg, or foot pain, get a pair of poles. If you happen to live near York, ME you can take lessons in Nordic walking from Lauren DeLong, a certified teacher of Nordic walking. (You can find her by googling her name or going to her website, www.nordicwalking.com.) It's great whole body exercise, burns a lot of calories, and Lauren sells some beautiful poles.
Before I end this post I must tell a story on myself. Two years ago Jim and I joined my sister Laura and her husband Larry for some hiking and biking in Acadia National Park (one of my favorite places in the world.) A few days after she went home Laura called me: had she left a pole in my car? I went and looked. Yep, there was a pretty flowered pole on the back seat. I boxed it up and sent it to her. A couple of days later Laura called me, laughing. "You sent me one of Mom's canes!"
Following is a picture from this morning'd hike, (I can't seem to upload all of them.)
Using hiking poles continues to be part of improving my ability to walk a little longer every day. I walked with them through-out most of the Seacoast Community Chorus's Scandinavia tour. Most of the time I go walking in our neighborhood I use my poles, even if my neighbors tease me. My poles come apart so I can pack them in my suitcase when I travel.
I don't know how many sets of poles I've gone through over the years. I do know it is more than one, because my son Brian permanently borrowed my hiking poles when his first pair wore out midway though his thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2007. My current poles are from The Kittery Trading Post in nearby Kittery. If I remember correctly they cost about $75. But in the 10 years since I bought them the use of hiking poles has become more common; the price has come down. You can buy a reasonably decent pair for $20 at Walmart. I know because I have at least one Walmart pole in the back of my car.
If you feel like you are losing your ability to walk long distance because of back, leg, or foot pain, get a pair of poles. If you happen to live near York, ME you can take lessons in Nordic walking from Lauren DeLong, a certified teacher of Nordic walking. (You can find her by googling her name or going to her website, www.nordicwalking.com.) It's great whole body exercise, burns a lot of calories, and Lauren sells some beautiful poles.
Before I end this post I must tell a story on myself. Two years ago Jim and I joined my sister Laura and her husband Larry for some hiking and biking in Acadia National Park (one of my favorite places in the world.) A few days after she went home Laura called me: had she left a pole in my car? I went and looked. Yep, there was a pretty flowered pole on the back seat. I boxed it up and sent it to her. A couple of days later Laura called me, laughing. "You sent me one of Mom's canes!"
Following is a picture from this morning'd hike, (I can't seem to upload all of them.)
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