Well, for those of you who don't know, I've been working Jury Duty in White Plains for the past few weeks. Besides my very interesting experience with the law and criminal trials, I also got so spend a bunch of time walking around while waiting for my Mom to get out of work. It turns out that the Bronx River Pathway, which runs continually all the way from Hartsdale to Kensico Dam in Valhalla, passes right through White Plains. I made a point of going and walking on the path as often as I had time. Sometimes I walked up to Kensico Dam and other days walked South to Hartsdale.
On some of the days I covered up to 8 miles in 2 and 1/2 hours, heading to Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla and then back to White Plains. I think this is pretty good, considering my training is just beginning; and I had no real blisters, although I did experience some foot soreness on the bottom of my heel and forefoot. I believe that part of the reason I had foot soreness is because I have insanely high arches: one amongst a long list of things I can curse in my gene pool. I'm hoping that some Superfeet Insoles will help support my arches.
Also, The walking fool has been helpful once again in detailing the kind of paths I will encounter on my trip. Considering that most of what I will encounter on the Nakasendo will be paved over or smooth dirt paths, I am going to try to find some regular walking shoes with Gore-Tex and tons of cushion in place of my Merrell Chameleons. I think the Merrell's more aggressive tread and increased stability is better suited for the kind of hiking I plan on doing here in Upstate New York, such as the section of the Appalachian Trail in Pawling. On regular paths it feels like there is not enough surface touching the concrete to support the bottoms of my feet. The last thing I want to deal with (after getting lost and blisters) is unnecessarily sore feet. So here's hoping I can get this figured out soon.
Ian
Total Distance Walked: 19.28 miles
Actually, the last thing you want to deal with is probably bears.
ReplyDeleteAwww, I love you Ian! Ok, so when are you going exactly? Def keep this up to date when you go.
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