Hitherin Yawn

And so we come to the end of the first leg of this 3,300-mile walking/storytelling/book tour. After a full day by the side of the road, I was in a cranky mood. Didn’t have much interest in sightseeing, at least on the US side. But some sights simply refuse not to be seen — as,…

Definitely a tricky night, weather-wise. As this video shows, I didn’t quite trust my information on the likelihood of rain, so I made arrangements accordingly. In the end, it probably wasn’t necessary to move camp, but relying on my poncho to keep me dry was the right call – I only felt a few drops…

This day went on longer than I’d planned, as I decided early on to chase down a rumor of free showers and campsites being offered by the Village of Middleport, NY. But the closer I got to Middleport, the less enthusiastic I became. When my feet started shooting little warning twinges at my central nervous…

The picture postcards call Brockport a “Victorian town on the banks of the Erie Canal.” I don’t know what they mean by “Victorian.” I guess they’re talking about architecture, but most of it seemed pretty modern to me. ‘Course, I’m old-fashioned enough to think 19th-century brickwork qualifies as modern … Regardless, downtown Brockport is a…

Short day today. Brockport is only 11 miles by trail from where I woke up this morning — in a small patch of woods in Greece, NY. But tomorrow I’ll be spinning yarns at the Lift Bridge Book Shop here in Brockport, so the last ten days or so have been all about getting me…

Well, that was a decent dollop of rain last night! I knew it was coming. I had time to plan, but didn’t much like the options. There was no good place to string a tarp, and besides, high winds were forecast. Unless you can pitch your tarp just right, the edges are gonna flap in…

I’m having trouble with this section of the Canalway Trail. Not with the walking bit. That part’s going just fine. And not with the trail itself, which is clearly marked and well-maintained. In some places, the Canalway Trail disappears at the edge of town, leaving you scratching your head as to how to get back…

I was asked a question on social media the other day. The question probably deserves a longer answer than the one I gave, which is this (and I quote): “Yup.” Not much of an answer, I admit. Lacks nuance, you might say. Lacks emotional resonance. “Yup” is what you say when you don’t want to…

Yep … my feet are gonna need a bit more recovery time. It’s nice to know I can cover 30 miles in a day if I have to. But it does take a toll. The soles of my feet are no worse off than usual, though I may have strained a muscle or tendon. Whatever…

Long day today — about 30 miles, not counting a three-mile detour in search of breakfast. But that only happened on account of I hit the road so early in the morning that nothing was open yet. The clouds and moon conspired to wake me up at 4 am. All night long, the moon had…