December Distance: 242km
December Floors: 532
Rating: Getting there ..
December has been hot. Very hot. I now have a convincing backpack tan and there’s a demarkation line where my socks begin and end. Walking in the mid thirties is remarkably debilitating but it has meant that I have been sleeping the ‘sleep of good children’. As well as spotting Rainbow Lorikeets along the way there have also been singing kookaburras making regular appearances in trees ..
Laughing kookas
I’ve significantly increased my stair climbing in preparation for the South West Coast Path in Cornwall and Devon. Particularly fit friends of mine have warned me about the coastal steps being steep and uneven. And so neighbours will have been bemused to see me climbing up and down the similarly steep steps in our garden. I’m up to 20 ascents/descents a day now, which the Healthy Heart on my phone gratifyingly if misleadingly recognises as many more floors.
Climbing the garden stairs in my SANE teeshirt
My rucksack is now a constant 8kg so there won’t be any nasty surprises when I set out from Land’s End. It’ll mean being very miserly with my clothes and toiletries but I’m cool with that. One of the things I relished during the Thames Walk was having no choice of clothes to put on in the morning. It was a bit like being back at school with a uniform. No choice just meant less time thinking about inconsequential things. It doesn’t translate particularly well to real life but for three months I’m going to love that daily freedom.
I’ve been lucky enough to have all sorts of companions walking with me during December. Friends have introduced me to their favourite walks and I’ve seen parts of Sydney and Melbourne which are new to me. I’ve loved sharing in our son’s prep for his Mount Kili climb too.
Walking from Bronte to Coogee with Kate
The Heritage Walk back in the Eastern ‘Burbs with Sophie
Kilimanjaro prep for Gus
Christmas has been all around me as I’ve walked too. And there have been many wondrous sights to see. Some more fathomable than others!
Australia’s answer to Santa’s sleigh and reindeer
Much of my December walking has been alongside water .. Sydney Harbour, the NSW coast and the river Yarra in Melbourne. It’s meant spectacular views and often a lot of stairs. Being surrounded by such spectacular views sometimes creates the illusion that you’re constantly on holiday and returning home to deal with bills, emails and washing up is often a bit of a surprise! Sydney’s a surprisingly hilly place .. but that’s been good for the calves.
Mosman Bay ferry
The coast south of Sydney
There have been some amazing houses to see along the way but what always staggers and delights me is the amount of prime real estate reserved for the dead. Take Waverley Cemetery for example. It tops the cliffs at Bronte in the eastern suburbs of Sydney and takes anyone doing the coastal walk, right in amongst the gravestones. It’s packed to the gunnels with fabulously over the top Victorian and Edwardian monuments. The first interment took place in the afternoon of 4 August 1877. And since that time more than 83,000 interments have taken place in 50,000 graves and memorials over 16 hectares.
Final resting place for those who like a view at Waverley Cemetery
Angels praying for souls under an azure sky
I want to put in a word for my local Chiropracters in Mosman. If you read the blogs of any long-distance hiker, you soon come to realise how obsessive they become about niggles which may develop into an injury and have an impact on progress. It’s been wonderful to have Sue and Ashley to help me out with treatments and advice. And a big thank you to them for donating the cost of one of my treatments to The Black Dog Institute. http://mosmanchiropractic.com.au
Last night we walked down to Kurraba Point to watch the midnight fireworks on Sydney Harbour. I thought I’d include a photo here alongside my wishes for a very happy and successful new year! At long last .. my Walking The Black Dog year has arrived. Can you feel my excitement!!
Bringing in the new year!
Black Dog Tails
Kermit is the first ever funeral parlour emotional assistance dog .. available for pats and hugs to anyone who is grieving.
Hi and greetings from the UK. I’m enjoying your blog already and you haven’t even started your challenge. I did LEJOG in 2009 and loved it. I blogged at http://litehikersblog.blogspot.co.uk. I’m doing a rather shorter 583 mile hike this year from Chepstow to Berwick upon Tweed.
Thank you, Geoff! Wonderful to hear that you were successful in completing LEJOG and so enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to taking a look at your blog. Best, J
Hi Jules, I loved the pictures and your drawing! We look forward to seeing you in March. 🙂
Thanks so much Simone! Jx
Oh it’s so good to see your blog and what beautiful areas you have for walking. I agree that stair climbing is good prep for the SWCP. On one day I worked out that from Gwithian to Porthtowan I’d walked 465m up and the same down, much of it on uneven steps. I’m really hoping our paths will cross later this year – it looks as if we are using similar routes through the Pennines. (I’m going further west up the Welsh border so we won’t meet until later) Good luck with the rest of your training.
Helen, wonderful to hear from you! Congrats on finishing your first phase. The write-up on your blog was full of handy suggestions for me although my son has suggested a chocolate bar with ten wrappers rather than sardines, as my emergency food! Hope you’ve fully recovered from your toothache. Keep up the blogging .. I couldn’t see a subscribe to get email alerts but will keep checking in. Sounds like our paths may well converge in the Pennines. I’ll look forward to it.
Your photo of the cemetery and your comment reminded me of a sketch in a book on Dunedin in NZ which shows the view from the Southern Cemetery with the comment that it is one of the best views of the harbour, but the least appreciated. Another delightful description of your preparations for your Walk. Your photos and your accompanying commentary are such a delight, it’s cold and windy, typical winter weather! Good wishes for your ongoing preparations.5
Hilary, lovely to receive your message .. always encouraging. Please have a word with the cold and the wind so that it’s not too bad by the beginning of March! As you say, cemeteries in the Antipodes have much more spectacular outlooks than those in the UK. Jx
I see your backpack load has increased from 7.5 kgs to 8! Now it’s half a kilo heavier than Tottie! Xx
That made me smile! Must say, I’d prefer to have Tottie at my side rather than a backpack! Jx
Great update, Jules, you are going to nail it!
Thanks Ray! Great getting your message. Jx
Hi Jules
Happy New Year! You are so deeply committed to challenging yourself in overcoming what has been a significant problem for you for the good of others. Similarly last year was more challenging than I could have ever anticipated , especially after my second major op for cancer in May. I’m so sorry, Jules, that I seem to have slipped up along the way and haven’t heard from you for ages.With the onset of a new year I’m feeling quite a lot better and want to catch up with you. Is Wimbledon on your route or the Mawddach estuary ( near BARMOUTH in Snowdonia) so that we could add our homes to the list of others wanting to offer you a comfortable base to rest your weary limbs en route? We’d really like to contribute to Black Dog and support you in any way we can.
Please get back to me and we’ll try to make up for lost time. With lots of love, Dee xx and Bxx
Hi Jules
So impressive. Your comments and pics of the premium-view cemeteries made me wonder if you ever listen to audio books as you train. I’ve just finished listening to a full cast recording of the Man Booker prizewinner, Lincoln in the Bardo, which is exquisite, moving and beautifully read by some brilliant and surprising actors (including David Sedaris and Susan Sarandon). Highly recommended.
XXX
Thanks for the recommendation, Joanne .. I listen to a lot of pod-casts when I’m walking here in Sydney but will now download some audio books to listen to on the walk. Lincoln in the Bardo will be my first pick. Thank you, Jxx
Good luck with your forthcoming adventure from one LeJogger to another. I did it last year – http://www.daveslejog.co.uk – and looks like we’ll have shared pretty much the same route, bar my wander along the Birmingham canals. I’m sure you’ve soaked up pages of advice already; my only tip – other than to have the time of your life – is to give the John o’Groats Trail a go. Some it is still a challenge; but the rest is a joy. I’m looking forward to reading about your trip.
Thanks for your comment, Dave. I’ve started reading your Lejog blog .. what an engaging writer and an amazing photographer you are! I’m so enjoying it. Your route does look very similar but you managed to walk it much faster than I suspect I will!