a pilgrimage of sorts

West Highland Way planning (Part 3)

The weeks have passed, and it is now down to days until I head north for my walk.

I had made several longer runs than I had previously been undertaking; up onto the hills and along the road for 5km each way. I noticed that my trusty Lowa Renegade boots, used almost every day for the last twenty months (including my walking trip in the Dolomites last June), were showing signs of wear and I made the last minute decision to replace them like for like.

However, I still hadn't walked for the sort of distance I would need to be putting in each day and so I took the opportunity to walk to a meeting in town rather than drive. I calculated (using the OS Map app) that this was just under 13km each way which would be a really good test of boots and legs in particular.

One of the key things I learnt in the Italian mountains, thanks to the excellent example of our guide, was that one did not walk past a Refugio with taking the chance to rehydrate and refuel - usually a beer and a plate of strudel! Therefore, I made use of two cafes on my trial walk. We think of our country as being densely populated, but it is amazing how easily it is to find oneself alone on a byway. I passed a walker, a jogger and a cyclist (and a couple of cars on the lanes) but otherwise it felt like I had the world to myself.

The local town has a prehistoric trackway, clearly predating the roads, trading estates and housing. Walking in a straight line through the changing urban landscape felt like taking a core sample and examining the various layered deposits; the overgrown bushes alongside the railings and fencing, emerging to cross a busy road before disappearing once more, and then out along pavements fronting houses, schools and shops.

I was pleased to have learned how to avoid blisters when I was in the mountains, and it felt good to have boots with feet comfortably supported. I was tiring by the time I got within a mile of two of home, as to be expected. I had some muscle stiffness the next day on the front and back of my lower leg. I have been developing a daily routine of stretches, and so I will add these two muscle groups to the list.

 

West Highland Way planning (part 2)

Having reach a point of preparation which seemed to involve reading of others’ success (and failure!) on long distance walks, and the West Highland Way in particular, my attention has shifted elsewhere as I had to complete submissions of my longer written piece for my MA which provided for a theological underpinning of the rationale for this walk.

My starting point for this has been the Desert Monastics from the 4th Century onwards; in particular Evagrius and John Climacus, primarily because we have access to their own words in Praktikos and The Ladder of Divine Ascent, respectively. What we find in both these men was an appreciation of the physical in their own bodies, but also in their environments - either their cells or the desert wilderness. They thought of their physical space as a means of learning spiritual truths.

There is also a similar sense of needing to pay heed to the body and environment in books such as Gabor Maté’s When the body says no and Bessel van der Kolk’s The body keeps the score. By attending to the physical body, they argue, it is possible to find the best route to healing after times of stress and trauma.

Triangulating three texts allowed me to make a proposal - my working hypothesis, as it were - values to address in our “spiritual” lives which cohere with scientific work in our striving for well-being. The three principles I have adopted are;

• Stillness - a tranquility within self which is not disturbed by external circumstances (Climacus writes about fearless resistance even when there is cause to be afraid). An element of this also requires what Maté calls a compassionate curiosity with self.
• Withdrawal - not necessarily a hermit-like stepping away from the world, but a withdrawal of the important part of our selves from the parts of our selves and our surroundings which are not helpful (as nice as they may be). This challenges our attachment to “stuff” and having things (there are plenty of blogs and YouTube videos from people who take on long walking challenges but who do so in a way which perpetuates G.A.S. - gear acquisition syndrome).
• Attention - this is the need to keep a careful eye on our bodies and emotions so as to be alert to any warning signs that might be raised. On this walk I expect to need to be aware of those hot-spots which might lead to blisters, to levels of physical energy I may have for whatever the next challenge on the route may be, to those times when I might have low blood sugars and could possibly then make a silly decision out of haste, as well as my own feelings of tiredness or anxiety.

I have also been trying to work out the best way to record the walk in such a way that I can post usefully about it and also have material for me to reflect upon as I test my working hypothesis. I love having a notebook to write in with a good pencil, but I am also going to try to keep an old dictaphone with me to record more instantaneously for my record. I will also have at least one camera with me to post daily photos to twitter, but also to have images I can work on afterwards - an important part of being attentive to my surroundings for me.

Anyway, that’s the plan so far. More reading to be done and some checking of my travel bookings and route.

West Highland Way planning (part 1)

I have begun the planning for my trip. I have watched quite a few videos of people's success in completing the walk - they have been helpful as it helps one get to know something of the terrain and possible weather!

 

It is also helpful seeing someone's failure, and honest appraisal for the reasons. RoguePixel mentions three in particular on her first attempt. She is right to highlight the need for looking after one's feet. I will be using boots I walk in almost every day, and in which I did my week's walking in the Dolomites last June. I learnt a lot about blister control and pacing oneself on the circumstances ahead. I have invested in some new merino wool liner socks, so will give them a thorough test before packing.

Her second mistake was in relation to the weight of her pack and her fitness. I am slowly working on building up distance walked, and with running as well I am optimistic I will be ok on this. However, I would like to enjoy the walking as much as possible. I am re-using as much kit as I can from previous walking and camping trips, but have bought some new items as, even though I will only be walking with my day pack, there is no point getting soaking wet for the whole time.

She points out mistakes in the route planning, both getting lost at one stage (thereby vastly increasing the day's milage) but also in setting oneself hopelessly optimistic targets for each day. I will have set destinations for each day rather than relying on wild camping, so I will need to be careful about some of the required distance on the rockier paths alongside Loch Lomond, for example.

I will watch her second "fail" video with interest. Was thrilled she completed it on her third attempt.

There is an important additional piece of planning for me. I am reading Belden Lane's Backpacking with the Saints and have a stack of further books to get through as I will be trying to tie my experience of walking in with some studying for my MA.

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page...

...according to Augustine of Hippo*.

This blog is my record to what I have been calling pilgrimages of sorts. They do not necessarily have a religious purpose, but they do have an intention of seeing the world and people that God created and in seeing, understanding and appreciating.

The first such trip was in 2012 when we as a family drove across France and Italy in order to see some of the Churches in Ravenna. That story is here.

My second trip like this was in 2018 when I joined a party heading to Uganda to mark the 50th anniversary of the link between the Dioceses of Bristol and Uganda. That story, and a lot of my reflections both photographically and also in response to my further reading begin here. Some of the people I met in the villages and refugee camps have stayed in my mind since.

My third trip was going to be to some of the ancient cities of the Silk Road. I began, brimming with optimism, with a visit to the place where every adventure ought to begin, Daunt's Book in Marylebone. The room at the back, under the glass roof, where books are categorised by country is both beautiful and inspiring. I read around issues of the break up of the Soviet Union, the history of the back and forth along the Silk Road as religions and worldviews competed for attention and delved into history. Sadly, within a very few weeks of the planned trip COVID arrived and everything shut down. I had paid for the bulk of the trip, but the ABTA guarantee of that money expired in January 2022, forcing me to make a decision. I came to the conclusion that a long-distance trip was still (at that time) a health risk, and I also realised the footprint of such an expedition. 

I opted, therefore, to use the change my plans and go walking in the Dolomites instead, and take the time to travel by train. I had little chance to research that trip in the same way, but I loved the chance to photograph the high mountains and explore some of the remains of First World War battle fields up on the summit plateaus.

My next 'pilgrimage of sorts' will be to walk the West Highland Way, accompanied by some writings of the Desert Fathers and their modern counterparts.

* There is some debate about whether Augustine actually said this or not, especially as he was not well travelled himself.