Helping some ladies walk across Spain

Since I have been remarkably blessed during my life to have hiked/walked somewhere near 50,000 miles - with perhaps 98% of my steps taken locally - friends often ask me for hiking “tips”.

In fact, later this very day (Sunday) I have been asked to take a group of local lady friends hiking on Holston Mountain. The primary purpose of our hike is for me to help them better prepare for a most wonderful undertaking of theirs later on this year; these ladies intend to walk the world-famous Camino de Santiago spiritual pilgrimage together across Spain. (Please feel free to do your own "Google search” regarding the Camino, for further info on this ancient hike/pilgrimage/journey.)

Since many readers of this column likely enjoy walking/hiking to some extent, I’ve decided to include (within this particular edition of my column) the “exact same” personal advice/pointers I intend to give my lady friends later today.

(Whether you intend to walk a spiritual pilgrimage across Spain - or slowly stumble around your backyard - the following tips can equally serve to help make any hike more enjoyable and meaningful, my friends.)

1 - Look after your feet. Take Blistex, Band-Aids, “foot care” stuff. Make sure you “break in” your shoes (you bought a waterproof pair, right?) with a few walks BEFORE you go on a long trek. (It matters not so much whether you don hiking boots or walking shoes, as long as you adhere to all the other info in this paragraph.) Your shoes should be at least ½ size bigger than normal, maybe even a full size. Also, make sure they have a big area in the “toe box”. Almost everyone’s walking/hiking shoes are too tight – a big reason so many of us suffer from bunions later in life. (Also, your feet will swell at least a tiny bit each day as you walk all that mileage.)

2 – Maybe don’t do as much as you think you can the first couple of days. EASE into the hike. You’ve got time.

3 - Don’t carry too much stuff (although everyone always does). Lol. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, eventually discards carrying things that they don’t really need over time. Over a long hike, only an extra pound or two can feel like someone stuck a big ol’ boulder in your backpack.

4 - Hike with “joy” at every step. And every step has a different view.  Don’t get caught up in mileage. “Joy” is the word. Nothing I have to say about hiking can be more important than this. Same as in living our lives, a good hike is much more about enjoying the journey than about reaching the destination.