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Els primers 1.000 km |Our First 1,000 kilometers (aprox)

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(English version below)

Doncs ja tenim fets els primers 1.000 km aproximadament (ja fa dies). Insisteixo en l’aproximadament doncs és difícil comptar tot el que fem.

Aquests 1.000 km inclouen els que fem amb les motxilles entre punt A i B, més els que també caminem amb totes les motxilles quan cerquem allotjament o quan alliberats i lleugers visitem indrets.

Estem relativament bé de salut, però sent sincers i sense voler espantar a ningú, ens agradaria estar millor.

Jenn

Salut:

  •  Peus, turmells, genolls, cama esquerra, esquena i espatlla dreta, sorprenentment bé.
  • Espatlla esquerra, malament.
  • De retruc, cama dreta, amb molèsties.

Equipament:

  • Botes, comencen a tenir alguns forats a la tela. Les soles estan força senceres i amb dibuix.
  • Motxilla: Amb un important problema. S’ han fet reparacions, algunes a fons, però sembla que ara s’ aguanta molt just i te mal arreglar, pel que el més segur és que s’ haurà de canviar per una de nova.

Lluís

Salut:

  • Peus, turmells, genolls, cames i espatlles, sorprenentment bé.
  • Esquena, normalment fa mal al final del día. Sembla ser el meu punt més dèbil, però entenc que és el cansament normal acumulat al cap de tantes hores amb una proporció de pes massa alta pel meu pes personal.

Equipament:

  • Botes, comencen a no tenir gens de dibuix als talons, tot i que encara aguanten.
  • Motxilla: Amb alguna reparació pròpia sembla que va aguantant prou bé.

 

Taking a break during on a hot afternoon.
Taking a break during on a hot afternoon.

 

English Version

So far, so good. We hit the 1,000 kilometer mark in/around Daik-U, Burma, a couple weeks ago.

We’re not exactly sure where that milestone was. We use paper and digital maps to check and measure our route every day and a spreadsheet to record the final distance, but we keep our phones and GPS turned off most of the day while we walk to save battery, and we don’t have any fancy pedometers. Also, Lluís and I sometimes count differently. I tend to count our distance from point A to B, more or less from each place we sleep; I often discount the extra kilometers we tack on post-walk strolling around a city or searching for a place to eat or what we log on no-pack rest days. Lluís likes tallying up these extra kilometers because they are as much part of our walk as the other ones, or at least our feet and bodies feel them that way.

Either way, the exact, down to the meter, mileage doesn’t matter too much. We have covered a good amount of ground in two months, but still have many more to go.

And, how are we doing? Generally, we are  okay. In some aspects, we are doing much better than expected. In other ways, we wish things would be better. Here’s a quick health and gear status check.

Jenn

Health:

  • Legs, feet and back doing surprisingly well. I had a couple blisters the first couple days out, but no problems since then.
  • My left shoulder and muscles are feeling the weight of my pack, and most of the day, they hate me. Doing lots of stretches and massages during the day, and looking for ways to reduce my pack weight.
  • To compensate for the shoulder aches, my right knee takes more “responsibility” and some days feels tweaked. Again, doing stretches and exercises to strengthen the muscles around my knees and the rest of my legs and ankles.
  • My stomach is totally confused. The heat along with new food and new water every day, and in every village we pass through, means a nonstop adjustment for my digestive system. It’s been topsy-turvy and knocked me out for 1.5 days, but while it hasn’t been pleasant, it hasn’t been bad enough to stop me altogether.
  • I’d like to sleep more. We are in a different place almost every night, and some nights it’s harder than others to get comfortable.

Gear:

  • I’m dealing with the important issue of my favorite backpack unraveling. It’s too small for the things I need on this walk, and will buy a slightly bigger one to avoid overstuffing. I’ve gotten some repairs done and will ship it home for future use; I can’t bear to leave it behind, and I think it has many other “normal” trips still in it.
  • I have to get rid of carrying a front pack. I believe the extra liters of water I am carrying up front are the main cause of my shoulder problems. I left behind the very old, bulky day pack I started with in January and got a smaller one, but it pulls out and down in a way that bugs me. The weight of my big pack alone seems bearable and within proper proportion to my body weight. I’ll keep experimenting with this.
  • I keep sewing holes in my socks, but they are small and easy to fix, at least for now.
  • The soles of my shoes have held up pretty well, but the material on the inside of the shoe and near the top of my foot is wearing thin.
  • I left behind some clothes and little things that weren’t working for me this time around, and swapped out some clothes for  lighter options more suitable for the high Southeast Asia temperatures. A few other items will be shipped back with my pack because they are still worth having, but have become hard to carry.

Lluís

Health:

  • Feet, ankles, legs and shoulders are doing surprisingly well.
  • His back is holding up, but it’s also his weak spot and where he feels the most tired at the end of the day. Again, the long walking days with more-than-normal weight is likely the main issue, and he’s also working through this with massages and stretching.
  • Luckily, his stomach his less sensitive than mine and hasn’t had any issues worth noting.

Gear:

  • The soles of his walking shoes are starting to wear thin, but they should hold for a while longer.
  • He also had to make some backpack repairs, and, touch wood, they seemed to have done the trick.
  • Some items that started with him were also left behind these last few weeks; an extra pair of old shoes and a couple pairs of socks were the toughest things to let go of.
The roads we walk: Strategy Road, stretches of which are being built by hand. A day's walk from Daik-U, around where we think we hit the 1,000 kilometer mark.
The roads we walk: Strategy Road, stretches of which are being built by hand. A day’s walk from Daik-U, around where we think we hit the 1,000 kilometer mark.
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4 thoughts on “Els primers 1.000 km |Our First 1,000 kilometers (aprox)”

  1. Hola, guapos!!!
    Ja veig que esteu bé, si més no, una mica cansats. Normal.
    Nosaltres bé.
    Ens recordem molt de vosaltres.
    Molts petonsl!!!

    1. Hola Marta i família,
      Gràcies pel missatge. Com bé dius, cansats però recuperant-nos doncs després d’uns dies de gestions, tornem a avançar i fer ruta. Molts petons per totes!

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