We are now into week 5 of our training. As a treat to ourselves on our long walks on Sundays, we have been exploring different brunch venues in Victoria. So far, we have walked to Jam Cafe, Blue Fox and Fuego, all excellent and highly recommended (and worth the lineup)! This week, our 20 km walk will be celebrated  with brunch at Bear and Joey with friends Helen, Wayne, David and Kate.

Apart from the long walk, our training is not exactly rigorous. We are walking with an empty pack a couple of times a week and searching out hills to include in our routes. We are both doing  our daily (more or less for Lois, always for Paul!) stretches and strengthening exercises and Lois continues to practice yoga twice a week.

Footwear has been the subject of further discussion and debate. Lois ordered a new pair of Lowa Explorer II hiking shoes, when she discovered she may not be able to get her old ones reheeled in time (there appears to be a shortage of shoe-repair services in Victoria). After ordering the boots, we discovered that Oak Bay Cobbler was able to repair her old ones quickly, after all. Now, it’s a matter of deciding whether it is advisable to use the  new boots, which are a half-size larger than her normal size (as recommended on hiking blogs), or her old ones, which are already broken in…

Paul’s concern has been the development of a pain in his heel after a long walk in his Lowa’s. He has now purchased a new pair of Blundstones, with a  hiking sole, which appears to be solving the problem.