Category trekking

Top Ten Retirement Adventures: No. 9

Reg Spittle 2 Comments

If retirement adventures are meant to pile up memorable moments, then this is one. Indeed. We stood at the end—Land’s End, that is—of our backpacking trip on England’s South West Coast Path. Soaked to the skin, we had battled horizontal rain all afternoon, but were, as they say, all smiles, even giddy.

My hair and the front of Sue’s hat stood to celebrate our 200-plus miles of ups and downs along England’s coast over three weeks in 2019. Although we had some balmy days as we walked in and out of a series of English seaside villages, when the weather turned, we were nearly blown away. At the end, it was so ridiculous that I Iaughed to the finish line.

Another memorable day on that trek took us on a record (for us) 9,000 feet of climbs and descents over 15 miles and 10 hours. Let’s just say that Bude was a welcome site as darkness neared. The beer as well as the fish and chips were delicious and we were glad the memorial gathering in the pub wasn’t for us.

The English trek was our fifth European distance trail, extending our addiction to traveling by foot. More to come about others.

Eight more adventures ahead.

Tucson: Enchanting Trails, Without the Crowds

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I once thought Sedona was home to the best hiking in Arizona. Not anymore. Tucson may not boast the red rock, but it lacks the crowds that require Sedona hikers and bikers to hit the trail early if they hope to secure parking. We pulled into this trail’s parking lot in late morning. Temperature? Low 70s. Parking? There were three cars in a large lot. The trail? Another gem. And, like so many trails here, just minutes from downtown.

In the Enchanted Hills, Sue and I walked the El Grupo and Tecolote loops, detouring up (with a rock scramble) Enchanted Peak for lunch and the view. Now, I have a confession. I love the saguaro cactus and the rest of its family, except for one irritating member: the jumping cholla. Watch out!

Clumps of the “jumping” cholla are known to fall off and easily leave their home if you brush against them, as Sue found out. I hope you never have to try to detach one from yourself.