Happily Joining the Freshman Team
Days 6 and 7: Korcula and Hvar
I've had my first accident. I wish I could say that it took place while I was climbing the Croatian version of Mt. Everest (Although there were a couple of times when I thought I was) or that the jagged terrain was too much for my middle aged ankles, but it was nothing like that. While in Korcula, I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and the room was so dark that I stubbed my toe so badly I saw stars--even in the darkness.
This less than auspicious injury had its consequences. While I generously supplied Aspercreme to my latest injury (thank God I brought the big bottle!) it and of course, my less than stellar knee, was making it too difficult to become a competing member of the JV team. And so I gave up.
Before beginning this trip, I honestly thought I'd be a few steps short of skipping through the entire vacation. (I really did buy into the 1-3 level) On day 4, my hiking inadequacies became crystal clear. I assessed my multiple aches and thought, "Who am, I Joan of Arc?" "I'm nearly 58, what I'm trying to prove?" And so, I kind of gave up.
As my present goal was to just stay upright, (a significant bar drop) the first thing I did yesterday morning was to ask for a stick. Evidently, there is a whole science on how to get it to the right length for maximum support. It has something to do with a 90 degree angle of some body part but I just handed mine to one of the guides to help me find the right length. I was never any good at angles.
And then we started walking...up. Even with my additional equipment, between my knee and my
swollen toes due to my nocturnal contact with my suitcase, my position on the JV team quickly began to slip. This resulted in both good news and bad news. The bad news was that I was now entrenched on the "Freshman" team..or the end of the pack. The good news was that I got to spend time talking with my fellow poll users who I learned were nothing short of a delight!! Unlike when I was on the JV team, I was no longer huffing and puffing and could have conversations without gasping for breath every few seconds. We talked movies, books and even tiptoed around politics. It was like a walking book club! I'm loving the back of the group!
As for Bob, once he saw I was reveling with my newfound, albeit slower friends, he shot passed us all and headed straight for the Varsity.
We are now on the beautiful island of Hvar and today's hike had us walking along the coast. It was breathtaking. At the end of about 5 miles we had the option of climbing up a steep hill to see some abandoned buildings or go swimming in the Adriatic. As I could just go to Newark to see abandoned buildings, Needless to say, my poll friends and I chose the second option. I'm not sure that was the best choice.
Here in Croatia, the Adriatic is a absolutely gorgeous--clear as can be with beautiful hues of blue. The problem is to get in the water, you have to walk through a torturous mix of stones and rocks. This was a problem, as I had conveniently left my flipflops in our hotel room in order to reduce the weight of my rucksack in an attempt to slightly reduce my sweating. That was a mistake.
As my feet hurt me on a good day, this torture chamber-type experience was almost too much to handle. I can only describe my movements down the beach towards the water as nothing short of horrifying--a mix of cursing, tiptoeing and arm flailing. And it was no better when I got in the water as the rocks were there too! While in the water, my feet hurt so much that I was either going to tread water for the rest of my life or steal some poor Croatian child's floatie! Fortunately, one of my fellow pollers threw me her flipflops (clearly far smarter than me) so that I could get out of the water without becoming a felon.
Tomorrow is our last day of hiking and we are told it's all up hill. In case ther's an option, I'm bringing my flipflops.
I've had my first accident. I wish I could say that it took place while I was climbing the Croatian version of Mt. Everest (Although there were a couple of times when I thought I was) or that the jagged terrain was too much for my middle aged ankles, but it was nothing like that. While in Korcula, I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and the room was so dark that I stubbed my toe so badly I saw stars--even in the darkness.
This less than auspicious injury had its consequences. While I generously supplied Aspercreme to my latest injury (thank God I brought the big bottle!) it and of course, my less than stellar knee, was making it too difficult to become a competing member of the JV team. And so I gave up.
Before beginning this trip, I honestly thought I'd be a few steps short of skipping through the entire vacation. (I really did buy into the 1-3 level) On day 4, my hiking inadequacies became crystal clear. I assessed my multiple aches and thought, "Who am, I Joan of Arc?" "I'm nearly 58, what I'm trying to prove?" And so, I kind of gave up.
As my present goal was to just stay upright, (a significant bar drop) the first thing I did yesterday morning was to ask for a stick. Evidently, there is a whole science on how to get it to the right length for maximum support. It has something to do with a 90 degree angle of some body part but I just handed mine to one of the guides to help me find the right length. I was never any good at angles.
And then we started walking...up. Even with my additional equipment, between my knee and my
swollen toes due to my nocturnal contact with my suitcase, my position on the JV team quickly began to slip. This resulted in both good news and bad news. The bad news was that I was now entrenched on the "Freshman" team..or the end of the pack. The good news was that I got to spend time talking with my fellow poll users who I learned were nothing short of a delight!! Unlike when I was on the JV team, I was no longer huffing and puffing and could have conversations without gasping for breath every few seconds. We talked movies, books and even tiptoed around politics. It was like a walking book club! I'm loving the back of the group!
As for Bob, once he saw I was reveling with my newfound, albeit slower friends, he shot passed us all and headed straight for the Varsity.
We are now on the beautiful island of Hvar and today's hike had us walking along the coast. It was breathtaking. At the end of about 5 miles we had the option of climbing up a steep hill to see some abandoned buildings or go swimming in the Adriatic. As I could just go to Newark to see abandoned buildings, Needless to say, my poll friends and I chose the second option. I'm not sure that was the best choice.
Here in Croatia, the Adriatic is a absolutely gorgeous--clear as can be with beautiful hues of blue. The problem is to get in the water, you have to walk through a torturous mix of stones and rocks. This was a problem, as I had conveniently left my flipflops in our hotel room in order to reduce the weight of my rucksack in an attempt to slightly reduce my sweating. That was a mistake.
As my feet hurt me on a good day, this torture chamber-type experience was almost too much to handle. I can only describe my movements down the beach towards the water as nothing short of horrifying--a mix of cursing, tiptoeing and arm flailing. And it was no better when I got in the water as the rocks were there too! While in the water, my feet hurt so much that I was either going to tread water for the rest of my life or steal some poor Croatian child's floatie! Fortunately, one of my fellow pollers threw me her flipflops (clearly far smarter than me) so that I could get out of the water without becoming a felon.
Tomorrow is our last day of hiking and we are told it's all up hill. In case ther's an option, I'm bringing my flipflops.
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