February 21, 2017
So I'm sitting at my workroom window (I have my own workroom, btw. So does P. We also have two bathrooms and live by the sea in a fisherman's cottage. We did not have this in DC. Just saying.)
As I was saying, so I'm sitting at my workroom window in Aberdyfi. It's very foggy out, despite my just having had relative Twitter success by creating the hashtag #itsalwayssunnyinaberdovey last week (to be clear - relative Twitter success is not actual Twitter success, it means like 6 people liked a tweet. I live in a town of less than a thousand people, so that seems like success to me). I was thinking that I hoped the fog would clear, because I really wanted to do some serious walking in the south this week, because I need to get myself in shape to go on my big walk which is only. . . One. . . Two. . . Three. . .
Holy crap. If I'm leaving in May to meet friends in Gower in July (I think, oh god wait how far is that? How fast do I walk? Do I want to stop anywhere on the way? When are they coming?) then I'm leaving in less than three months.
And what have I done to prepare? Pretty much nothing. No, actually, quite literally absolutely nothing.
Having read a story recently about two young women interviewed by the local news, who said they had spent two years preparing for the Wales Coastal Path (not even including the Offa's Dyke!), I feel like I should probably at least put together a list. Although to be fair, when I read that article my first thought was 'Seriously? Two years? What could they have spent all that time doing? Can't you just like walk out the door with a tent, a backpack full of underwear and a credit card and just stop at inns that you find along the way? It's not like this is the Yukon here or anything. I'm not going to get eaten by a bear if I can't find a good place for a pint.'
So, given that that is how I'll end up if left to my own devices, I figure the way to force myself to prepare is to draw up a list and make it public. If you're reading this and have any additional suggestions, I'd appreciate feedback via Twitter or FB comments. All help is welcome!
Though I do hope I'll be able to buy things I need along the way - and to be fair, P will never be more than a 4 hour drive. . .
To Do List
- Figure out how long it will take to walk 1000 miles. Not just by dividing 1000 by 20. You're not walking 20 miles a day you idiot, that's just easy to divide into 1000.
- Look up how long it took other people to do the walk on Wales Coast Path's website
- Download all the maps from the Wales Coast Path website, and see if Offas Dyke's website has maps to download
- Time getting to Gower in time for July visit
- If you have time, figure out ideas for stops in Pembrokeshire, which is supposed to be amazing (alt. leave earlier)
- Reserve a place in Gower for July
- Check out Wales Coast Path's website on 'where to stay' and 'where to eat' - download anything you can
- Choose which backpack you want to bring - road testing!
- Make a 'To Bring List' (below)
- Buy things you don't have on the To Bring List (duh)
- Make sure all things on To Bring List still work/don't have holes in them/aren't still covered in sand from Namibia
- Check how heavy all things on the To Bring List are
- Remove half of things from To Bring List from pack because it's too heavy
- Get a haircut. Possibly colored. Nothing natural colored either, since you're running away from society you might as well color it green.
To Bring List
- Tent
- Long tent stakes - remember that time your tent blew away in Ocracoke?
- Rain fly
- Hiking Backpack
- Sleeping Bag
- Blow up pillow thing - you're old. Bring a damn pillow.
- Sleeping mat/yoga mat? See old person comment above.
- GPS. Because even though you'll have the Irish Sea as a landmark for 75% of the way, you know you'll still get lost. Also geocaches.
- Compass
- Change for pay phones since you aren't taking a mobile because you actively don't want to know what's happening in the world.
- Laptop - thank goodness you got the lightest one in history! For uploading blog posts once a week - NOT for finding out what's happening in the world.
- Laptop charger & dongles. Ha ha. Dongles.
- Hard/waterproof laptop case
- Camera - may need to get new one since you smashed off the bottom of the old one, and the masking tape isn't working very well. Nice job btw. This is why you can't have nice things.
- Camera memory card reader thingy. That's the technical term.
- Water bottle - despite what you always say, you are not, in fact, a camel.
- Camp stove and plates/utensils?
- Extra rope
- Energy bars/camp food - do you need to bring this or can you buy most of the way?
- Waterproof firestarters & matches/lighter
- Headlamp
- Clothes. . . Hmmm. Besides the obvious, lots of underwear & socks?
- Bathing suit and rashvest
- Hiking shoes - are proper boots necessary?
- Flip-flops
- Cheap plastic rain poncho
- Waterproof backpack cover
- Walking stick
- Cards: credit card, bank card, CADW membership card, National Trust membership card.
- Maps: figure out what to do about maps...
- Pencils and drawing book - because you'll have time
- Small journal
- Toothbrush and paste
- Hairbrush and ties
- Hat - because everyone knows the hairbrush and ties actually won't work for you and your Sicilian hair
- First aid kit and advil because you will hurt yourself
- Bugspray
- Sunscreen - to keep out that scorching British sun
- Soap - because you know you'll be gross
- Tissues - because, you know
- Towel
- Camp Chair
- Ziploc bags
- Something to read
Argh - that looks like a long list. Am I missing anything? Like maybe a sherpa? Any volunteers?
