Where my feet have been. The dawn of a new blog.

I have a fascination with feet. These two little masses carry us through our day to day lives. They see the best and worst of things. They carry us through the puddles and skip us through the fields.

I am about to embark on a demanding journey. My feet will take me tramping through NZ. I plan on doing all the great walks known in that part of the world. This is the blog that will document where my feet have taken me. From training through to my return. I can't wait to step onto that plane. And I know that I will be just as excited to come back home.

Training starts this weekend. The backpack has been purchased (finally) - *big sigh of relief from many I know*. I will embark on a Saturday morning hike every week until I leave. I will train in both my boots (have no purchased yet) and my sandals (cute little KEENs). Most importantly, I will be training with my backpack. Slowly, the weight in the pack will increase, to finally attain the level of weight that I will actually be carrying day in and day out on the trails in New Zealand.

The hike from my place will take me down Bayview Avenue where it meets River/Queen Street East. Its a hilly and windy road. Perfect. Sadly, the very bottom of the roadway is always full of wanderers from the train tracks. So not the safest route to take alone. So I won't. I'll be escorted every weekend by at least one person.

The trip is roughly 5.2 miles (8.37kms) one way - 10.4 miles (16.74kms) return.

In sad news, my right knee started showing signs of struggle last night on the way home from church. Shawna, Brent and myself walked back to my house from St. Andrews (roughly 6.15miles/9.897kms). Just south of St. Clair, sharp pains started in my right knee. Unable to afford a dedicated regiment at a physiotherapist, I've been postponing treatment. I haven't had any terrible problems with my knees for the last little while, up until Sunday evening. Praying that it doesn't return and that I'm able to avoid further complications as the training begins.