Wednesday Walking - Our First 20 Mile Walk! Baldwin Rail to Trail

I like to walk but last year if anyone told me I'd walk 20 miles in one day I'd have had a good laugh!

But walk 20 miles we did! Whoop-Whoop!

This is all in preparation for our trip to New York next month. We'll be joining about a thousand other folks in  The Great Saunter a 32 mile walk around the shoreline of Manhattan.  

Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail

The Jacksonville-Baldwin Trail runs 14.5 miles between Imeson Road Trailhead and Brandy Branch Road Trailhead. There's several places to stop along the way including the Helsema Road trailhead, Baldwin Station and Camp Milton Historic Preserve.

Our walk started at the Helsema Road Trailhead on the Baldwin Rail to Trail. We walked 12 miles round trip to the Imeson trailhead, back to Helsema and then four miles towards Baldwin Station and four miles back to Helsema.

A total of 20 miles! 

The Baldwin Trail is a nice flat paved over railroad track that runs mostly through farm land.

This little black cow followed us for quite a ways on our walk.

We walked under a tunnel of sorts and there's even trail for horseback riders that runs along the side of the walking trail.

Our First Bike Encounter

There are no cars allowed but walkers and bikes share the trail. And on this walk we had our first run in with a bicyclist. Signs at the trailheads instruct everyone to stay on the right side of the trail. The idea being that faster traffic can pass on the left.
You can hear the bikes coming up behind you and most of the riders call out "passing on the left!" which is great. Unfortunately one woman on a bike didn't see us because the visor of her helmet was obscuring her vision and she plowed into us.
It's weird how things like that seem to go in slow motion. All of a sudden she was there falling to the ground between us.  Thank God she wasn't going very fast! She pretty much missed me but John caught it on the arm and foot. Poor lady she was so embarrassed and apologetic but we were none the worse for wear.
She got back on her bike and we went back to walking. But after that I was a little paranoid and couldn't help but turn around whenever I heard a bike coming up behind us.

A Few Tips For Long Distance Walking

1. Start by walking 1 -3 miles a day on most days.
2. After you're used to walking short distances daily begin adding a longer walk once a week. We did a few 6 miles walks then moved up to an 8 mile then 10, 17 and finally our 20 mile walk. 
3. Stay hydrated! Sweating and drinking plain water tends to wash the minerals out of your body so consider a sports drink. We take Lemon-Lime Gatorade in a 3 liter hydration system that's in John's Deuter backpack. Plus I carry powdered Gatorade and a water bottle as well. 
4. High energy salty snacks are a must. We take a snack mix of dried fruit, salty nuts and pretzels. We also take a few bananas and PBJ sandwiches are nice and portable. 
5. Think about eating a good (not heavy) meal at some point in a long walk. We stopped back at our car after 12 miles and ate the picnic I'd packed. Turkey, ham and cheese sub sandwiches with lettuce, pickles and black olives.  
6. Take frequent rest stops. At the beginning of the walk we stopped for about 10 -15 minutes after each 3 miles. The last three miles I think we stopped for about 5 minutes every mile. 
7. For ladies consider taking something like a P-Style along. We don't have the freedom to pee on a tree like the guys but there are products available that make it possible. Carrying something like the P-Style means you don't have to drop your drawers and squat behind a tree! When it's a two mile walk (that's forty minutes!)  to the nearest bathroom you'll be glad you've got one with you. 
8. For me I need a walking partner. If John wasn't encouraging me along the way I'd have stopped at 12 miles! 
9. Plan on a really good high calorie meal after your walk. Even if weight loss is your goal you need to replenish your body. I burned 2100 calories on this walk. 

You don't have to walk 20 miles but lace up and take a walk today!

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Tips and Tricks for Walking the Cinque Terre - Monterossa to Vernazza

The Cinque Terre (CHINK-weh-Tay-reh) in Italy is a series of five small fishing villages connected by cliff side trails and a railroad line. Walking the trails of this UNESCO World Heritage site offers spectacular high up views of the Ligurian Sea and the jeweled  colored villages below.

The village of Vernazza 

Before heading out be aware of the fact the trails can be haphazardly closed at any given time. Too wet or slippery, a rock slide or trail maintenance is often the cause of these closures. When we were there in November there was only one trail open and that was between Monterossa and Vernazza. All five villages could be visited by train but only these two were accessible by the trail We didn't know this until the morning we bought our tickets at the Levanto train station, To be safe check the website before making plans. 

To check for trail closing click here to visit Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre. You'll find an interactive map showing all the trails in the park system.

You'll Need a Ticket 

We bought our ticket at the train station in Levanto where they have a special window just for the Cinque Terre. Apparently the price can vary depending on what's going on but the day we visited we paid 12 euro for each person to walk the trail with unlimited use of the train. The very nice English speaking agent made it clear that we had to write our full name on the ticket or take a chance on getting fined. We did as we were told but we never saw anyone who looked remotely interested in whether or not we even had a ticket!

A Most Challenging Trail!

I would describe the trail from Monterossa to Vernazz a as very challenging. When you leave Montersossa you'll have to climb a series of stone staircases. Lots of stairs. Not just a few stairs but LOTS OF STAIRS and they go straight UP! At one point the stairs seemed to have no end. All I could think of was the song "Stairway to Heaven". 

Fortunately the stairs ended and we were on a fairly flat trail. (OK sort of flat)

Parts of the trail were very narrow.

We came across a small waterfall and creek and a stone bridge.

Steady climb up on an uneven, rocky trail.

In some places the trail went up and then back down. 

It's time for a snack!

And more uneven, rocky trail...

The trail is quite difficult but if you're in reasonable good health it should be doable. I'm in good health and walk a lot but I'm certainly no athlete and I made it!  Just take your time climbing and enjoy the views, the vineyards, flowers, cactus and the cats. Lots of variety on this trail! 

Looking back on Monterossa

Huge, beautiful cactus growing on the rocky cliffs.

and can you believe it? 

A cat sanctuary on the trail. Complete with houses and food and water! 

We even found a geocache in a small cave on the trail.

And Just in Case

Signs like this are posted at intervals on the trail in case of emergency. Of course you need a cell phone...

WC, toilet, bathroom? Whatever you call it you won't find one on the trail...

The Reward for Our Efforts

Our first view of Vernazza!

Now we just have to get down there...

The trail down into Vernazza didn't have as many stairs as there were coming up from Monterossa. It took us about 2 hours to walk the trail. That included a few stops for photos, to have a snack and to find a couple of geocaches. 

If you're ever in the area don't pass up a chance to walk this trail. The climb is something else but the reward is so worth it. Just to be able to say "I did it!" is a pretty good reward. 

What to Bring

• I wore hiking boots but a good walking shoe would be fine.
• Carry water 
• A little snack might be nice
• Sunscreen and a hat - especially in the summer
• Camera to record all the wonderful sights
• A hiking stick is nice but not necessary

Step By Step

Several years ago I began wearing a pedometer. This is a little gizmo that counts each step I take. This one simple thing changed my whole outlook when I realized that I was I was taking less than 5000 steps a day.

 According to an article at About Health less than 5000 steps is considered sedentary. I'd always thought of myself as fairly active so this was a wake up call. 

See the article "How Many Pedometer Steps Per Day is Enough?" for more details.

When I first started wearing a pedometer my goal was to increase my steps by 500 to 1000 steps a day. I slowly worked my way up to taking 10,000 of more each day and I've kept up that pace for the last 3 years. 

10,000 steps isn't a magic number but one many people aim for. For me 2100 steps is equal to 1 mile so I'm walking around 4 - 5 miles each day. Weekends usually find us walking the trails at a local state park or participating with our walking club and my steps can go up to 16,000 or more. 

A few tips pedometer tips:

1. Buy a good pedometer. I use one by Omron. You can buy pedometers that track miles, calories burned, heart rate, etc. but I like this that just keeps up with the steps. 
2. Don't use the freebies that are given away at health fairs. You can jiggle those in your hand and up your steps. That doesn't help you at all.
3. I put my pedometer on as soon as I get out of bed. It's surprising how many steps you can take just fixing breakfast. 
4. If your pedometer doesn't come with a good clasp rig up a way to hold it sucurely on your waistband. I found this out the hard way when my pedometer came off my pants while in the bathroom at Sears. It wasn't pretty...
5. Track your steps and aim to add steps each day until you reach a number that's right for you.
6. Have fun and enjoy the outdoors. Number of steps are important but shouldn't be your only goal.

I purchased this Omron pedometer at Walgreens for about $15. I've had it for 2 years and I've replaced the battery once. That's a good deal...

Do you wear a pedometer?