Still Training



Wendy on walking trail

Three weeks to go!  Training is back on track after a lull while we enjoyed visits from my sister, and then from our son, daughter-in-law and two delightful grandchildren.  We now walk 12km without a break each morning with full packs and carry everything we are taking with us on the Camino.  My pack weighs in at just over 8kg and Steve’s weighs just over 9kg.  Steve has the extra weight of the phone, iPad mini, guidebook and a lightweight daypack.  We really wanted to carry less weight but after going through all our gear several times and culling some items, everything we now have in our packs seems essential.  Although heavier than we wanted or expected, our packs feel comfortable and we are walking without difficulty. 
 

Since we’ve been walking with full packs we’ve become somewhat of a curiosity with other walkers in the area.  Instead of the usual pleasant ‘good morning’, people have begun to stop and ask if we are training for some reason.  When we tell them yes, we are going on a walking holiday in Spain, most people say ’Oh, the Camino’ and they have either heard of the Camino, read about the Camino, know someone who has done it or wants to do it, or they have watched the movie ‘The Way’.  It never ceases to amaze me how venerated this pilgrimage has become.



walking home after 'touching the carabiner'

Our house lies at the end of a cul de sac.  The street this cul de sac branches off is a climb of about 400 meters from top to bottom, so we climb this hill to finish each walk, then turn around and walk back down to our street which branches off about two thirds of the way up.  When we reach the top of this street, which is in fact the highest point on Tamborine Mountain, we touch and walk around the roadside guide post, an act we jokingly refer to as 'touching the carabiner'.



A few years ago Steve did a rock climbing and ropes course then went on to climb regularly for a while at Kangaroo Point Cliffs in Brisbane.  The highlight of his climbing career, after gaining experience, was taking part in a guided climb known as ‘Ruby of India’ on Mount Maroon which is part of the McPherson Range in SE Qld.  Climbing can be exhausting, and the aim and challenge of each section is to reach the next carabiner until eventually reaching the summit, so after a 12km hike with the last stretch up this hill, we touch the 'carabiner' to signify our summit of Tamborine Mountain. 

    

Mount Maroon

Steve climbing Mount Maroon