antonalyptic: barefoot

Showing posts with label barefoot. Show all posts

20250330

Older

Growing older. You don't think about it much until it happens to you. The mountain bike boy I met a few weeks back whilst walking in the forestry, tackling scary obstacles on the narrow bike trails carved out of the hillside: we are two generations apart and yet he had the grace to stop and wish me well. I don't even know your name, but I hope that the brakes on your bike are good - please don't fall and hurt yourself because I want you to live life to the full.

Another boy in his early teens: I teach him woodwork - there's such a sparkle in his eyes, such a rejoicing in his new-found skills, so thankful for the time I give him, so outspoken for his age (in a good way, wanting to complete the projects I set by himself without my interference). Again I find myself looking forward and wondering what life has in store for him.

I wish I were young again. Without a care, no aches or pains, with a portion of that youthful vigour that now seems so elusive.

But then there's T, now in his late teens, suffering from leukaemia - I know him only via social media, but have been praying for his "complete healing" for about eight years now. The medical staff have no doubt been wonderful, but I have hoped and asked for so much more. A young life in the balances - why, why O Lord? And how dare I complain about my own aches and pains when he has had to grapple with this condition for so long, in and out of hospital.

I aim to jog four or five miles several times a week (barefoot of course). It used to be that, when it was cold outside, I would start off with a long enough sprint to warm up. But I find I can no longer do this: chest tightness tells me to slow down. I am told this is due to plaque forming in my arteries - not yet life threatening but the doctor wants to put me on all manner of drugs with scary common side effects. I don't want drugs. I want to be young again!

Generally speaking I think I am relatively fit for my age and I am so thankful for that. But there's no getting away from it: I'm not as young as I used to me. Growing older.

20200831

I climbed Keadeen

My track: 36.4 miles cycling

and 4.4 miles hiking

A new mountain peak for me: Keadeen at the south west limit of the Wicklow Mountains and standing somewhat separate connected only by the Ballinabarny Gap. It was Sunday and I met several other groups tackling the peak, though none without shoes and mostly with those hiking sticks which I abhor (at least for easy hiking like this). There was even a parking place, which I biked to from home, and the trail was well used though boggy in places.

Overall stats: 40.8 miles, elevation gain 1394m, maximum 658m though, interestingly, other sites report varying heights e.g. 653m, 635m, and OpenTopoMap, which is the best open sourced map ever, reports a spot height of 705.3m though its contours do not bear this up.

Here is a pile of my photos, the last one being of mist rising from our lake the early morning after. Click on the images to view full-screen.

20200829

I climbed Benbulbin

My track: 7.1 miles elevation gain 521m

I got a bit lost on the way to the access point and a helpful local man gave me directions to Luke's Bridge and told me that on no account was I to climb Benbulbin as it would be too dangerous with the recent rainfall. However on parking the car it was evident that numerous others were climbing so I dismissed his advice and set off, and was glad I did.

Luke's Bridge, seen looking down from the top

Looking down one of the many fissures

The relatively flat top

Looking back on the way down

The inscription on the bronze plate affixed to the triangulation pillar reads:

Kevin Myers

12.12.74 - 7.7.2002

Passed on in the middle of living his dreams

Cheers to our mate kev

Great memories live on

Love from

Trav Beth Russ Tracy Wrenny

Steve Nick Viv Amy

and all your aussie mates

That he came from Australia is evident. But what were his dreams? - and how did he die: was it on this mountain? Sadly Google could tell me no more so I was left wondering.

The climb and views from the top of this unusual mountain were awesome, ecstatic almost. Marred only by the many other hikers attempting it, with their hiking gear, many layers of clothing, boots and sticks, but none barefoot or lightly clad as I was. But we coexisted amicably.

And what are my dreams? And will they be of sufficient consequence to live on in anyone else's thoughts should I decease? And does it matter anyway?

Although it mattered to me enough to wonder and to write this post that this man, otherwise unknown to me, should have friends loving enough to erect this epitaph on having his dreams so abruptly extinguished.

20200528

Lobawn and Table mountain

The mountain part highlighted in orange

Today's challenge was to go beyond Lobawn. The path that I transversed last time will take you from the village of Donard all the way to Lugnaquilla, the highest of the Wicklows. I didn't get that far, I turned off the beaten track at the summit of Table Mountain, thence to Three Lakes (actually there are only two), Arts Cross, a small segment of St Kevin's way and then back via the lane behind Knockalt.

Statistics: 24.2 miles, 3.7mph, elevation gain 1266m. My longest trek barefoot yet. Not that I was jogging all the time.

The mountain part was awesome and definitely worth the toil, even if the return road work was hard going. I took with me a small lump of cheese (Ali's idea), two eggs (Cadburys) and 600ml of water. I asked a householder for a refill on the way back and was glad that I had. It was a hot day.

If you are not too bored to check my photos (remember this is my blog and I do what I want, and I want these photos as a record and aide memoire of my ordeal) you'll see that the War Dept pillar on Lobawn is not the only one. In fact they turn up at other Wicklow summits apparently. They must have had a lot of them to get rid of after the war. And that mud (boggy peat) is hard to avoid and in any case is sort of irresistible and I reckon helps combat sunburn. Numerous dips on the descent helped to remove the evidence (in case any fellow-hiker might think I was mad - but I met not a soul on the mountains, all of them to myself). But I still needed a long shower when I got home.