When I walked to Rome in 2015, I reached my destination, and I felt that I had completed something: I had walked the Via Francigena from my home to Rome.
I set out in the opposite direction a year later, in October 2016, and when I reached the French border I once again felt that I had completed something: crossing the region of Liguria, from my home to the border. This made sense in its own right, and even though I said goodbye in Ventimiglia to another pilgrim who was continuing on his way toward Santiago, I did not regret turning around and going home: once again I had the satisfaction of having reached a milestone, and completed something.
Last October I picked up on the same trail, at exactly the spot where I had left off, and continued from Ventimiglia into France. My goal was to reach Arles, where the Via Tolosana pilgrimage route begins, and I actually ended up walking a few days farther, as far as Montpellier. The days were growing shorter, and my knees were beginning to ache: it was time to go home for the winter.
But I hadn't really completed anything - I broke off the Via Tolosana, Grande Randonée 653, in Montpellier, approximately halfway across France, and a third of the way from my home to Santiago.
And so now I find myself thinking of winter in a different way, as a break between Long Walks.
A time to recover from the last Long Walk, and prepare for the next one.
I started by eating and sleeping as much as possible. And I found I could eat and sleep an awful lot, after a whole month of walking!
I did a couple of Sunday hikes, hoping to keep in the spirit of walking, even though a Sunday outing is not at all the same as a Long Walk. But on one of these I must have fastened my boots too tightly, because I developed extensor tendinitis - a pain in the top of my left foot. For two months I couldn't even put on my hiking boots, or my regular winter city shoes for that matter - I had to wear a pair of high snow boots which could be laced up loosely over my foot. Rather overdoing things, to be wearing snow boots with a thermal lining, on the shores of the Mediterranean! But it was the only way to be comfortable. Because of this foot problem, I didn't return to the gym I have been going to for the past 18 years, but took up Pilates classes instead, in addition to my daily Qui Gong in the mornings and stretching exercises for my afflicted foot.
I continued this "recovery programme" for two months, until the Christmas holidays, and only in January have I gone on to the next phase: preparing for the next Long Walk!
I'm back at my old gym, where I'm doing a more dynamic exercise programme in addition to continuing Pilates; my foot is feeling better, though it's still not perfect. As soon as the weather improves and the first signs of Spring appear I hope to resume day hikes - and start getting into shape for the next leg of my Long Walk!
