Ed Narrative. How I learned to Hike,, updated

Updated post
How I learned to Hike.  In a word, PAINFULLY!!

While hiking the Camino de Santiago this past July I thought I was well prepared for the journey.

 I walked for miles at home to prepare my boots for the 350+mile trek I was going to take them on.  I thought I was physically fit and had trained enough to take on that extraordinary journey.   I made sure that I had the right equipment - clothes, backpack, sleeping bag, boots, toiletries, etc.  I thought that having hiked on several different types of terrain I would not have a problem.  As it turns out that although I was ready, able and willing, my feet and right knee had a different idea.  The first day out I hiked for about 17 miles thru the Pyrenees Mountains.  I started in a small village called St. Jean Pied de Port in France.  The beginning of the Camino was a paved road which soon gave way to a rocky path that I imagine that as well as being used by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims is also well travelled by the local livestock population.  By the end of that day as I descended into Roncesvalles my feet were a bit unhappy.  Luckily I did not develop any visible blisters (so I thought). 

The second day out the trail was on a paved roadway and a well maintained dirt path later in the day.  Again there were no visible blisters but I was starting to feel some discomfort under my big toenails and the nail on one of my little toes.  Upon further inspection I found that I had indeed developed blisters.  They were under my toenails.  Ouch. 

Now, the most popular way to drain a blister is a bit odd.  I didn’t believe it would work but it does.  First you get a needle and thread.  Something to sterilize the needle and thread is necessary to keep infection from setting in.  You then stick the needle in the blister and pull the thread thru and then do the same again to make an X.  Then cut the needle off leaving the thread dangling from the blister.  The idea is that the blister will continue to drain.  The best time to do this is at night when you will be able to walk around without boots on.

That is only one of the many fun experiences I had on my pilgrimage.  I had a lot of lessons about hiking to learn and will document more later.