First order of business: trim toenails.
Beautifully manicured nails and soft-skinned soles may be vogue for the pampered classes, but they spell disaster when hiking the rugged Bruce Trail.
I witnessed the perils of long toenails last year during the 60km Weekend to End Women’s Cancers walkathon, when several walkers’ nails became infected, eventually turning black and falling off. Today I was only embarking on what was considered a casual stroll by serious hikers – 10 km of the Caledon Hills section of Ontario’s Bruce Trail. Still, I wasn’t taking any chances.
Trimmed toenails and calloused feet are the telltales of a seasoned trailblazer, along with hamstrings and quads that flex with every stride. That was my goal, to have feet that snag pantyhose and muscles that purr while climbing a craggy cliff. My feet already look the part, but the next nine months will be focused on toning my muscles for a two-week hiking trip through Tuscany, Italy in April 2012.
Today, July 26, 2011 marks day one of training. Our route has been determined by our Toronto Bruce Trail guide, Andrew Wood, whose own goal is to hike the 70km Caledon Hills trail from end to end and earn another badge for his knapsack.
We set off at the intersection of Willowby and Escarpment roads at 9am and hike along forest trails, through tall, grassy fields and aside rows of towering corn nearly ripe for picking. This is probably the least challenging stretch of the Caledon trail as much of it includes hiking Escarpment Side Road past country estates and horse farms. It is a good initiation for my first hike, errrr stroll, of the season.
Andrew coaches me on hiking fundamentals like interpreting the white stripes or ‘blazes’ on trees, hydro poles and sign posts that demarcate the route. If you need to relieve yourself (there are no toilets), he says to leave you knapsack on the trail pointing in the direction you’ve veered off-route for privacy.
He rattles off the essentials of a hiker’s pack while I make mental notes: whistle, compass, bug juice, first aid kit, sun screen, rain gear, snack and hydration, including a nip of wine to round out the day.
Excited after a successful initiation, we make plans to continue our hiking in a day and further test my mettle.
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