Aside from climbing Great Hameldon about twenty times this month, taking Barkley along with me, today I went for a quick bounce over Pendle Hill with my lady friend, setting off from Barley in Lancashire. We managed to get over in well under two hours. It also gave me the chance to try o my new Salomon trail shoes. I will talk about those in another post, but suffice to say spending a decent chunk of money on kit is good for one’s feet when it comes to trail shoes. I always remember being advised to be mindful of whatever is between me and Earth – bedsheets, tyres and shoes. That has been sage wisdom that has stood me in good stead down the years.

I have been running every morning before work, bicycle commuting, and hiking almost every other day with Barkley. That has left me aching relentlessly, particularly over the last fortnight where I skipped my rest day to make it fourteen days in a row of strenuous exercising on daily, multiple occasions. That means that this evening I can completely monster some takeaway tofu and not feel as if I am eating back all that I burned.

This is all pretty good training for the future. I have in my mind to complete the Pacific Crest Trail when I am in a position to do so. In the intervening time I fully intended to keep day hiking to get this body in shape. I am also looking at a few short through hikes. Two in my sights right now are the Tour du Mont Blanc which, despite its name, actually spans three countries, and Laugavegur in Iceland. They are both in the 100 mile vicinity and around 7-12 days of hiking. When I was a wee nipper my parents attempted the Wainwright Coast to Coast but they bottled it after a week. I think that might also be a target.

Below are some cool photos from today.