Not every day is meant to be breathtakingly beautiful - if it were, we wouldn't appreciate those that are. This was one of those days that make us appreciate the beautiful ones. It seems that most everything that could go wrong did. That being said, in the bigger scheme of things it was still pretty darn good - just not compared to all of the other brilliant ones we have had recently.
Ah - a rest day!!!! So needed! Sorry for all of the exclamation points, but after 10 days of walking over 100 miles, a day off is cause for celebration. We woke a little after 8 and went down for an 8:30 am breakfast (that was the latest we could possibly eat at this B & B). Breakfast was a notch above as evidenced by the portobello mushrooms we ate (we usually only get button mushrooms).
Last night was NOT a good night sleep even though the beds were luxurious. Major storm woke me up a little after two and then I kept hearing the grandfather clock chime each hour. We did have a great breakfast. Our hosts at the Springfield Inn, Denise and Bob Guy served a FULL meal - we were totally stuffed by the time we finished. Fresh fruit with non-dairy yogurt (spelled 'yoghurt' here). Vegan sausages, potatoes, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, porridge, toast, cereal . . . . And they were so sweet. Denise is so gracious, she reminds me a lot of my Aunt Ruth, and Bob is a born comedian. We took a picture of the kids with them (the one for this post) because we want to remember them. While we ate at 7:00, we didn't actually leave until close to 8:30 because we talked for a while.
We wanted to get a really early start today because we knew it would be another scorcher. We actually got breakfast brought to our yurt at 6:30 am! Since we were in more of a campground type setting, it wasn't the typical gigantic meal. We merely had porridge, apples, and 4 small baguettes. We ate the porridge, but decided to make the baguettes into peanut butter and jam sandwiches and take them along with the apples for a snack. We've learned to call it jam instead of jelly here because 'jelly' in England is actually what we call 'jello' - and it would be quite nasty to have peanut butter and jello!
It seems that no matter how early we try to get out, we always end up leaving b/w 8:30 and 9! We asked for an earlier breakfast (7:30 am) so that we could get an earlier start. Same breakfast as always but we could tell that our hosts (Nick and Rachel) took extra steps to make sure that our vegan diets were addressed. They got special non-dairy butter and also non-dairy yogurt (that was a first for this trip)! They also fixed us great pack lunches.
As expected, we woke up to rain - not pounding rain, but rain nonetheless. So we kept with our plan of getting a later start. Since breakfast wasn't until 8:30, we were able to sleep in until 8 - loved the extra hour of sleep! Breakfast was the same as in every other place, but we also had the option of hash browns - a welcome addition!
Today started off similarly to yesterday. Up at 7, though with a few more aching muscles, and down for breakfast at 7:30. The breakfast picked up where the dinner ended - another great meal with the chef making special versions of porridge and beans/mushroom/tomatoes for us, along with the usual cereal and fruit. By the time we had settled our bill and were ready to head out it was 8:45 am - a bit of a later start than we had hoped given how long the day would be.
After many months of planning, the day finally arrived - our first day of hiking! We got up at 7 am and were in for breakfast at 7:30 am. Our host, Carole went out of her way to make sure we had enough to eat. She made porridge with soy milk, beans, cereal with soy milk, fresh orange juice, fruit, toast with peanut butter and jelly, and hummus with crackers! We ate a lot! And then packed up some Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches, the hummus and crackers, and some fruit for the road. By the time we paid our bill and headed out, it was 8:30.
Today was all about getting to St. Bees - that included 4 trains and a bit of walking.
We got up a little before 9, had another starchy breakfast (not many vegan options at the hotel continental buffet - will be better when we are on the trail). And then we made the 10-15 minute walk back to the train station. It was a beautiful day! As illogical as it is, I thought that I'd like it to rain today, so as not to waste one of the sunny days on a train day.
Today was our first day getting up at a time when we could actually eat breakfast! We set the alarm and got up at 8:30 am, showered, and went down for the hotel breakfast - not many options for us, but we filled up on toast and cereal (we had bought some soy milk yesterday). We left a duffle full of items that didn't make the final cut at the front desk and headed to the Waterloo subway station. Everything went smoothly catching the underground to London Marleybone and then took a pair of trains that got us to Stratford-upon Avon at 1:15 pm.
The only way to go up in popularity as far as English writers from J.K. Rowling is to go straight to the top. Today was dedicated to Will Shake! We still haven't quite adapted to London time. I awoke at 11:35 am and checked my emails. Turns out we had a private tour at the Globe that was moved from 1 pm to noon so that we could get in to one of the theatres that would be occupied at 1.
Father's Day started earlier than I had hoped - I opened my eyes at 2 am and noticed Jonah lying in bed reading on his Kindle! That boy is a readaholic! I told him to put it away and try to get to sleep - but his internal clock was off and he couldn't. And then I couldn't get back to bed either, so we both stayed up for a while reading on our kindles before we finally fell back to sleep. It was noon before we were all moving about and getting ready for the day. The kids weren't aware of the plans, but I knew that today would be a highlight day of our trip for them.
It seems that no matter how long one prepares for a trip, the final hours and days leading up to the departure date do not provide enough time to get everything done. And this idea certainly held true for us. Every moment leading up to our 2 pm departure for the airport was packed - we had everything set for the trip but struggled to get everything in order for leaving work for a month.
A week from today we leave for England. So it was time to hit the trails again for another training hike. We've done a few since our last post, but none in 90+ degree heat like we had today! Today, Jonah, Olivia, and I (poor Lara is working hard in Aruba!) spent the morning in NY's Sterling Forest State Park - a beautiful park with 32 different trails! We chose a 9-mile loop that took us by some closed mines, over some babbling brooks, and through a glorious forest.
We used this training day as an opportunity to try out our new GPS units - a Fenix 3 GPS watch and Garmin Oregon handheld system. Having never used a GPS unit before, we wanted to make sure we knew how to use one. The handheld was a bit cumbersome (that will be going back to REI), but the watch worked like a dream, keeping us on course, giving us information about how far we'd gone, and how far we still had to go. The trails here are well-marked, so a GPS unit isn't completely necessary. However, the situation in England is quite different. Trails aren't very well-marked and it is common for people to lose their way. With how many miles we're hiking each day, it would be disheartening to add a few extra miles because Dad got lost!
Jonah and Olivia did great, as usual. And I've got the added benefit of having exhausted kids who will go to bed early tonight! This is definitely a park we'll visit again for hikes - maybe even one more time before heading to England.
One week and counting - looking forward to the journey in front of us!
April 25th was a beautiful day for another training. An 11 mile trek on the Appalachian trail in Northern New Jersey. Once again, only Jonah and I represented for the Heimann clan since Olivia is still recovering from her knee surgery. And once again, my cousin Jeff led the way. This time we also were joined by my cousin Claudia and their friends Tor, Mik and Mike. I was nervous for how my little guy, who is only 10 would do on this day's hike, but felt that it was better to discover while we are still state side than when we're in England. We'll be averaging 11-12 miles a day on the trip so this day would be a good barometer.
And Jonah did incredibly well!!! Not even a minor complaint - and he was carrying his pack with extra clothing and food to better simulate the experience. So proud of the little guy and a little relieved to know that he can handle it. Granted this was a beautiful, sunny, Spring day and we certainly will have less favorable weather some days on our trip. But having this day under his belt will certainly help ground him for those days to come.
Having our equipment with us also helped figure out what works and what doesn't. Jonah's pack seems perfect, as do his poles. My pack, on the other hand, caused a bit of pain, especially around my hips. I'm hoping that some adjustments to the straps will do the trick - it is after all supposed to be a top-rated pack (Osprey Atmos AG 65), but seemed to be digging in and causing pain. I'm going to give it one more try on the next training hike and see if some adjusting will make the difference. I love everything else about the pack - but if it is causes pain from 11 miles, it will not be pleasant for 192!
We hiked to the highest point in New Jersey - High Point Monument in High Point State Park - very original names, I know! The picture from this blog is taken in front of the monument. Spending the day with family walking from one point to another. Very simple. Very serene. Very much perfect!
April 25th also happens to be the anniversary of my brother's death 28 years ago. I typically take time on his anniversary to go for a walk in the woods - but never an 11 mile walk. Having Jonah, whose middle name is David after my brother, and my cousins with me on this day made it extra special. The years go by, but the memories are still there, and the comfort of family definitely smooths some of the sharp corners of grief that always linger. My cousins made a cairn in memory of David and we spent a little time at the spot reminiscing.
This was a day to remember! And one that will stay with me for a long time.
Much gratitude for being able to have days like this one!
Mark
