Tag Archives: Hiking

Desolation Wilderness Backpacking with Trail Mavens

Posted on by under California, Hiking, United States
Mt. Tellac

Mt. Tellac

I tromped my way through the backcountry in the Wicklow Mountains, in Western Ireland, desperately trying to keep up the quick pace of my fellow hikers, who seemed to be skipping easily across the weed-laden, muddy grounds of the valley floor. I was mostly trying not to get stuck in mud, which when hiking in Ireland is omnipresent. While they all carried on easy conversations at a 5-6km/hour hiking pace, I nodded and smiled, hoping my temporary distraction wouldn’t result in my falling over, or sliding down the embankment. One of the group leaders yelled back “careful now, last week your woman* got her leg stuck in the mud up to her mid-thigh! We had a hell of a time getting her boot back!”

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Hiking Wicklow Mountains

Posted on by under Dublin, Europe, Hiking, Ireland

Views over Glendalough

Months ago, after returning to Dublin from Morocco I joined a hiking group. This weekend I finally went on my first hike. I’ve only been back from the Camino ten days, but have been itching to get back on the trail. So, I dove in, choosing to join a 20km higher difficulty hike around Wicklow, an area I’d been but had never hiked. But I figured, 20km was nothing, even with a near 1,000m elevation gain, right? Saturday brought a cool, clear day during a week of bizarre and mercurial weather. A welcome change, and a good thing too, as this hike would wind up being hard enough without the often present inclement weather.  Continue reading →

T-4 Weeks: On Packing and Minimalism

Posted on by under Europe, Spain
Camino Gear

Camino Gear

I leave in four weeks from today! Which means I’m starting to have apprehensive feelings, so I’m placating them by hyper organizing my gear and scrutinizing my pack weight-don’t worry I’m not about to cut my toothbrush in half, which theoretically, people do. And admittedly, I’m getting sick of training. I love hiking, but because access is limited I have to hike around the city, which gets old really fast. And I don’t want to burn out hiking-wise before even starting. Luckily, the two weeks prior to departure are about tapering, so I have full muscle recovery before setting out. So only two more weeks of wandering around the city.  Continue reading →

On “Training” for El Camino de Santiago

Posted on by under Dublin, El Camino de Santiago, Europe, Ireland

IMG_3998By “training” I mean, wander around Dublin at a reasonably quick pace while stopping for groceries and cappuccinos. I don’t really know how I should be preparing for this, having never attempted anything like it. The internet ranges in advice from, “didn’t train, was fine” to “here’s my guide to the 156 exercises you should master for a long distance hike! Do it or you’ll die!” I’m a reasonably fit person, and don’t have the inclination to walk 800km in preparation to…walk 800km. After all, that’s what this is, a walk. Not a run, not a hard climb. It’s long, but it’s not a grand feat of strength. More like not pushing too hard and wearing proper shoes (to grossly oversimplify). I didn’t train at all for Kili, at best I was acclimated from being in Moshi for a few months. And I made it, granted, with a fair amount of fanfare and struggle. But I did it, so I figure I can do this too. But because it doesn’t hurt to be somewhat prepared, I’ve thrown together a training program to get my body (most particularly, my joints) somewhat acclimated for a daily assault.

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