Tsunami, 44. Exploring.

This morning, I went walking again. 

For serious hikers, doing seven and a half kilometers in just over two hours isn't much, if anything. For me, serious potato couch, it's a lot. Right now, my legs hurt from the exertion, even though I did stop and contemplate and discover things along the way.

Two years ago, in the spring, I would walk around eight kilometers in an hour and a half most mornings. I had a set route, toward the middle of the village, through it, back up our road, down to the church, and along the asphalted back lanes until I hit the road again and headed home. That routine helped me to get down to twelve kilos less than I weigh now, and I felt good.

Then came winter and the pandemic, and I never got into that rhythm again. I did do part of the circuit last summer and fall, but then another winter came, with its corresponding rain and freezing cold mornings. In February, during my mini Carnival vacation, I felt curious about what was in the woods behind our house, so I set out on a ramble, wearing new sneakers hastily bought to substitute an old pair. The good weather helped. I got caught up in discovering things. As soon as they let us out of our townships, I went to a sporting goods store in Santiago and bought a pair of hiking shoes, the least expensive there were that were still waterproof. 

Then, my daughter dragged me up the hill behind our house, and I did a 200 meter climb for the first time in a very long time. So, I kept hitting out along the paths behind our house, through the woods, along the highway, and back along different paths. As I did so, I discovered places that I knew of, and others that I didn't. The most I've walked is only about seven and a half kilometers, and taking a long time, but I don't mind. As the walks go on, I notice my body is adapting better, and doesn't get as tired as it did at first.

Today, I tried to get to the abandoned house I'd seen the other day from the front, so I went down a path I had noticed other days. It led me to a glen with pines and a few eucalyptus, nicely planted, with a carpet of green, green grass. Next to it was another plot with at least three conifers that looked like someone planted their Christmas trees there when January came about. They were tall and lordly, as if they had grown there for the last thirty years or more. Strangely enough, the fire two years ago seemed to have passed it by. The surrounding plots were thick with dead, fallen wood, making it impossible to get any closer to the ruins, but these glades were lovingly cared for. 

I noticed that the path led further down, only it looked like few people ever went along it. In the distance, I noticed trees with a green veil, and decided to continue my prospecting another day, since it was already late, and I had to get home to make lunch.

If we aren't allowed to leave our townships during Holy Week, my plan is to get together a sandwich and water, and spend the day walking the hills, resting whenever I need to do so. It won't be the same as driving to places we've thought of going, but it's still something interesting.

Life continues.