30 July: Surprising
Statistic
This one caught me by
surprise.
I have been keeping statistics
on my outdoor pursuits for many years, but I don’t think I have ever hiked or
biked over 1000 km before the end of July. But this year by some work of magic, I seem
to have done just that.
To be fair, this was mostly a
biking story, with just 214 km being by foot.
Nevertheless, considering back problems, shingles, the threat of covid,
and other issues commonly felt by the over 70s brigade, I came home from a local
bike ride yesterday to find that this year's total had reached the 1000 km milestone,
and it’s not yet August.
I’m not sure what this tells
the reader except that The Passionate Hiker is now also a Passionate Biker, with
very little stopping him enjoying the outdoors most days. In fact, so far this year, I have enjoyed 110
trips out into the streets of Perth or a little further afield into the
beautiful countryside of eastern Ontario.
Most of the longer adventures I have done with my “old” comrade DB who,
let’s just say, is a few years closer to the next age milestone than I am – yet
I have to work hard to keep up with him.
And there are lots of plans to
continue the progress towards a new distance milestone by the end of this year.
Let’s just hope that sore backs,
shingles, covid, or any other affliction, don’t get in the way.
Attached two pictures: the woodlands and highlands of eastern
Ontario – summer 2022
 |
| Skycroft: on the Rideau Trail |
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| Blueberry Mountain, Lanark Highlands |
