Category: Uncategorized
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Sept 25, 2026 – Day 2 : Hiking On The Edge
Today we hiked 10.4 miles (16 km) in 4.5 hours from Espagnac to Marcilhac-sur-Cele. You will notice that our average speed today (25:43/mile) was much slower than yesterday (22:34/ mile). This was due to the very hilly terrain on this leg. My Apple watch says that I climbed 79 flights of stairs today, more than…
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Sept 24, 2026 – Day 1 – Highs of Day 1
Today we hiked 16.4 miles (26 km) from Figeac to Espagnac, France in 6 hours and 3 minutes. My Apple watch says that I took 34,808 steps, climbed 48 stories (that’s pretty high), and burned 2,199 calories. (I’m hoping that calorie count is right because the bread in France is better than crack … and…
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Sept 23, 2026 – On the road to Figeac … by train
Last night, we had our traditional dinner at a restaurant in Paris. We usually gather somewhere central for dinner and start rebuilding old bonds prior to our hike. This year, the three intrepid hikers were joined by two wives (Lisa and Alessandra) and one of our favorite ex-P&G work colleagues (Mathilde Delhoume). As we dined…
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Sept. 20,2026 – Senility
Ok, at my age, I expect to have a few brain farts now and then. But, this one was a major blowout. I was so proud of myself for packing early (you saw the picture), reducing down to just the essentials, checking and rechecking my gear, and then leisurely leaving for the Cincinnati airport with…
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Sept 18, 2026 – Preparing for Stage 2 of the French Camino
For the last few weeks, I’ve been preparing for this year’s adventure in torture …I mean hiking. Packing, unpacking, gathering materials, and buying some new stuff. Everything must fit in a carry-on size bag and weigh less than 26 lbs. Since this is my 5th year, I started a few months ago walking about 3-4…
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Shades of Rocky Balboa
Today we made the 16.7 mile trek frim Padron to Santiago de Compostela. This was the final leg of our 260 kms or 165 mile hike from Porto, Portugal. As you can imagine, I was filled with anticipation as we departed Padron in the pre-dawn hours. The hike was a bit longer than our usual,…
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The Rain In Spain
Today, we hiked 13.5 miles from Caldas de Reis to Padron, Spain in the pouring rain. It started the moment we left our hotel (before dawn) and continued for at least the next four hours. Unlike the song, the rain in Spain does not fall mainly on the plain. It falls in the mountains, the…
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The Most Fun You Can Have For 5 Euros….Sober!
Today we walked 11 miles from Porrino to Redondela, Spain. It wasn’t a long walk, but given the hot weather forecast for the afternoon (88 degrees), we left at 8am, before the sun came up. The air was very crisp this morning and so we covered a lot of mileage before the sun rose over…
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A Day of Surprises
Today I decided to start our 13 mile journey from Tui to Porrino with a little surprise for my hiking buddies. Before leaving the USA, I purchased some Ninja Turtle costumes and surprised the guys this morning. (I’ve named our group the Old Age Mutant Ninja Turtles given our ages and obvious maturity.) Everyone was…
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Searching for Happiness
Today we hiked 14 miles from Rubiaes, Portugal to Tui, Spain. The day started with the “ever chipper” (Juan Pablo) looking for a little happiness in the bushes around our hotel. We had our last pasteis de nata (Portuguese custard pie) at a little cafe in northern Portugal, before trying to find a place for…
