Thursday, January 30, 2014

Walking in the Snow - Prep for the Pyrenees?

I am experimenting with sharing my videos from Vimeo rather than youtube. This is a snippet from the beginning of the snowfall.  I was wondering if I could actually capture the snowflakes
"Preparation for old age should begin not later than one’s teens. A life which is empty of purpose until 65 will not suddenly become filled on retirement." ~ Dwight L. Moody

In our area of Georgia we don't get much snow. Since we are retired and don't have to drive in the snow, I'm always a little excited as I sit at home and watch the snow falling and accumulating on the ground. I recall all the fun of childhood days spent playing in the snow. Growing up in Illinois, there was no doubt snow would fall during the winter.

On January 28, 2014, we received about 2.5 inches over the course of several hours. The next morning we went out for a walk. I wanted some practice with my camera attached to my trekking pole via a stickpick. It was about 17 degrees when we ventured out and a beautiful sunny morning. This was put together using iMovie which I hope to use when we walk the Camino. I am testing a new pair of trail runners from Newton, Boco AT which I may use on our adventure. The tread was good in the snow but, of course, on ice, terrible. When we cross over the Pyrenees from France to Spain in late April, I hope we don't encounter snow but if we do, these shoes will work. My feet stayed dry and warm and gripped the snow. 

My husband was concerned that I would fall on the ice and then we might not be able to walk the Camino this Spring; thus, the exchange of words at the beginning of this video. When you hear me say "WHOA!", he had just slipped on the ice but managed to remain upright. So I chuckled thinking about the irony of his warning to me.  Of course, we were grateful to have completed a 7 mile walk with no falls.


 


Presently, on January 30th, early afternoon it is 36 degrees (feel likes 30) with lots of sun. So, we are headed out for a walk. The streets are dry except for the shady places where the ice has not melted so my husband won't have to worry about me slipping and falling on the ice. Atlanta and the metro area was covered by the national news media last night. Yes, it was a total nightmare. The South is not prepared even for just a little snow and ice.

On Saturday, February 1st, the weather prediction is for the temperature to reach 63 degrees. We had a low this morning of 5 degrees. I wonder what we will experience on the Camino?