Our Great Trek Approaches

A week from tomorrow, we (Brian, Sr., Brian, Jr. and myself) will be heading out to hike Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk in England. Our journey begins in St. Bees and ends in Robin Hood's Bay.

Here's a map and our itinerary if you're interested in the route/schedule:

Day/Date	Overnight At:	Mileage
Day 1/July 22	St. Bees to Ennerdale	14 Miles
Day 2/July 23	Ennerdale to Stonewaithe	14.5 Miles
Day 3/July 24	Stonethwaite to Grasmsere	9 Miles
Day 4/July 25	Grasmere to Patterdale	8.5 Miles
Day 5/July 26	Patterdale to Shap	16 Miles
Day 6/July 27	Shap to Kirkby Stephen	21 Miles
Day 7/July 28	Kirkby Stephen to Keld	12 Miles
Day 8/July 29	Keld to Reeth	11 Miles
Day 9/July 30	Reeth to Richmond	11 Miles
Day 10/July 31	Richmond to Dandby Wiske	14 Miles
Day 11/Aug. 1	Dandby Wiske to Osmotherley	11 Miles
Day 12/Aug. 2	Osmotherley to C.B.T.	12 Miles
Day 13/Aug.3	C.B.T. to Glaisdale	18 Miles
Day 14/Aug. 4	Glaisdale to Robin Hood's Bay	20 Miles

Voila! Piece of cake. ;)

Preparation: We've been walking/hiking a lot and Brian, Jr. has also been Crossfitting.

Gear: We've bought all sorts of things -- raincoat, gaiters, rain pants, rain hats, convertible pants, shirts, hiking boots, socks, liners, trekking poles, daypacks, hydration systems, first aid, compass, GPS, maps and who knows what else? Pretty sure we're ready as far as gear is concerned.

Of Note: I strained my left calf 8 days ago running/playing ball on the beach with Luke at Kiawah Island. So far, I've iced it, elevated it, compressed it, rested it, been to an ortho for prednisone, am wearing a Flector Patch on it and am spending a lot of time in a walking boot. This is my first day on the Flector Patch, so I'll be interested to see if it does anything to help. I also took an Epsom Salts bath. Lavender. lol My thoughts on it? Big boo-hooing tears (twice and I don't cry much!) over sheer frustration -- not the pain (I have excellent pain tolerance), profanities, prayer (I've been interchanging the two aforementioned "p's" depending on my mood), and a determination (with doubt nagging at me) to be able to do this walk. We'll see. I'll try my best and what is meant to be will be. Prayers please! :)

So, I hope some of you enjoy the journey with us through my tales and photos of the beautiful scenery!!

Love this quote:

“One should always have a definite objective, in a walk as in life – it is so much more satisfying to reach a target by personal effort than to wander aimlessly….life without ambition is…well, aimless wandering.”

-- Alfred Wainwright

And one more, which seems appropriate for me at this moment:

“You were made to soar, to crash to earth, then to rise and soar again.” :D

― Alfred Wainwright