While many call this period “training” I’ve come to think of more as “practicing”.  I’m learning how I react to walking up hill, what it’s like to carry a backpack, the feel of new shoes.   Legs definitely react differently.  I’m glad I’m practicing.  These aren’t things you want to discover in the middle of nowhere!

I like that the training/practice period starts in Lent.  Somehow seems right.  And purple is the color of the season and of the Alzheimer’s Association.  Here are two of my primary pieces of equipment:  The shoes I intend to wear and the backpack with my essentials.