Our preparation

In my last blog entry, I said I had realised that I had prepared for walking but that I had not prepared for not walking. Doing versus being. As a consequence, a lot of people have asked me what we have done to prepare. My confident answer is that I have bought a rucksack, over-priced walking clothing, two heavy books to read and a relatively lightweight notebook PC.

Doris is slightly less well prepared, having purchased maps for the German part of our journey and publicised our journey to her network of friends and contacts but not yet having purchased a rucksack or walking gear. And, oh yes, we did three walks of about seven and one half miles where we shared the load of a single weighted rucksack.

If you know me rather than Doris, you probably think I am being flippant and have omitted the rigorous training regime and day by day plan, with accommodation all pre-booked. Unfortunately, that is not the case and we may be setting out on the most ill-prepared expedition since Captain Scott took on the Antarctic (See “The Last Place" on Earth by Rolan Huntford).

I know I should be concerned by this but, actually, I am rather pleased. We have rationalised it thus: had we considered what we are taking on and tried to fully prepare in advance, we would never have contemplated doing it. In truth, I wish I was more physically prepared but apart from that, the principle of just starting to walk; doing so day after day, accepting and enjoying what comes along, is aligned with the idea of just being.

Much like, as my good friend Stephen pointed out, the character Caine in the 1970's TV show “Kung Fu”, with David Carradine, improbably cast as a Chinese Shaolin monk (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068823/). Except, of course, we'll have our PC, iPODs and being staying in nice comfy beds (we hope) in hotels, hostels and with friends. And I doubt that Caine got himself kitted out at The North Face from the looks of things.