Housekeeping, Blisters, and the War of 1812

Housekeeping Items:  Just so that you know, I am going to try to post once a week, on Sunday nights - wrapping up what has happened the previous week.  Once I get closer to September when I plan on walking the Camino, I may post more often.  But for now, you do not need to check during the week because unless something really significant has happened, I will not post.  The other thing that I wanted to let you know is that if you click on the pictures, they will enlarge.

This week was a so-so week for training.  On Monday, I was on the road all day for work so I could not walk at lunch.  On Tuesday and Wednesday, I had meetings all day and did not have enough time to walk at lunch.  Wednesday night I did a hour on the recumbent bike to get at least some work in.  On Thursday, I had to travel 6 hours north to a city that happens to be called North Bay.  So once again work was getting in my way of walking, but at least on Thursday night, and again on Friday morning, I was able to do an hour on the recumbent bike at the hotel.  When I got home Friday late afternoon, there was still some light left, so I walked 4.5 miles on the local roads where I live.

Blisters:  On Saturday, we walked 3 hours and 20 minutes from downtown Welland to Dain City beginning at 9 am.  It was not supposed to snow until the afternoon but by 9:10, we were walking face first into a heavy wet snow for one hour and 45 minutes before we turned.  The snow melted as soon as it hit us and we all became soaked..  Although my feet did not feel wet, I think the water got down into my shoes and I felt blisters beginning to form at about the 2 hour mark.  But being almost 90 minutes away from where we left our cars, you have no choice but to keep walking back.  At least now the snow was on our backs.  When I got home, I checked and I had on the outside of each foot a huge blister about two inches long, plus a smaller blister on the bottom of my left foot.  I drained them the best I could do - I hate blisters and I guess I have been spoiled as with all the long hikes I have been on, I have not had one!

 Today's (Sundays) walk was in a historic area called Queenston Heights.  Some homes in this area date back to the 1700's and this is also where some of the biggest battles of the War of 1812 took place.  There is a 185 foot tall monument where British Major General Isaac Brock was killed.  His remains are in the base of the monument.  The amazing thing is that that this monument was built in 1853 and to this day, you can climb up inside of it to the very top and view the entire area from there.  Enough of a history lesson.  I put bandages on the blisters from yesterday but I could feel them with every step.  I was concerned that I might be making them worst.  The hike lasted 90 minutes and the area was nice - it was an easy walk today.  When I got home, I was generally pleased to have found out that I did not make the blisters worst - but they were no better either.  So I think that I may have to take a few days off of walking to let them heal a bit.