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The Joy of Walking... And Walking... And Walking: A Practical Handbook for Serious Walkers and Hikers
Walking has always been one of the most enjoyable pastimes that most people love to do, at least once in a while.
However, some of us like to take walking on as a passion. Everywhere we go, we like to walk.
When we get serious about walking, it brings up all kinds of challenges as the miles start to open before us.
In long distance walking or hiking, it is absolutely essential that the walker prepare adequately for the adventure.
Whether it is just ambling along on local trails, climbing local mountain trails or walking long trails such as the Sierra Madres or Appalachian Trails in North America or any of the Caminos that end in Compostela de Santiago Spain, being adequately ready for the road ahead cannot be dismissed.
I have seen so many people miss out on their dream to walk the full 500 miles of the Camino Frances in Spain only because their preparations were inadequate.
Suffering from leg cramps, multiple blisters or they just plain don’t have enough strength and endurance so trekkers fall by the wayside and see their very expensive dream come to a dismal end. Only for lack of adequate preparation!
Proper physical training, understanding of nutritional needs, proper clothing and equipment and a good understanding of the journey that is to be undertaken with all its eccentricities are absolutely necessary if the trip is to be fun safe and full of wonderful memories.
The Joy of Walking… And Walking… And Walking is a tiny book full of essential information about long distance walking that will help you be prepared for your amazing journey.
Each page is chock full of valuable information written and learned through firsthand experience.
Let my hard lessons and valuable experiences be your teacher so you can be free to enjoy!
However, some of us like to take walking on as a passion. Everywhere we go, we like to walk.
When we get serious about walking, it brings up all kinds of challenges as the miles start to open before us.
In long distance walking or hiking, it is absolutely essential that the walker prepare adequately for the adventure.
Whether it is just ambling along on local trails, climbing local mountain trails or walking long trails such as the Sierra Madres or Appalachian Trails in North America or any of the Caminos that end in Compostela de Santiago Spain, being adequately ready for the road ahead cannot be dismissed.
I have seen so many people miss out on their dream to walk the full 500 miles of the Camino Frances in Spain only because their preparations were inadequate.
Suffering from leg cramps, multiple blisters or they just plain don’t have enough strength and endurance so trekkers fall by the wayside and see their very expensive dream come to a dismal end. Only for lack of adequate preparation!
Proper physical training, understanding of nutritional needs, proper clothing and equipment and a good understanding of the journey that is to be undertaken with all its eccentricities are absolutely necessary if the trip is to be fun safe and full of wonderful memories.
The Joy of Walking… And Walking… And Walking is a tiny book full of essential information about long distance walking that will help you be prepared for your amazing journey.
Each page is chock full of valuable information written and learned through firsthand experience.
Let my hard lessons and valuable experiences be your teacher so you can be free to enjoy!
42 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 8, 2019
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 14, 2020
As part of my Kindle Unlimited trial membership I am picking up books that I wouldn't normally consider buying.
I hesitate to call The Joy of Walking... a "book". It's one of these self-published guides that try to exploit the Kindle Unlimited program, or who would pay more than 6 bucks for 40 pages?
The first 3 chapters are a good introduction to invite people to go on a hike.
The 2 chapters about safety are very short. Published in 2019 the guide completely fails to look at useful apps for your phone especially for GPS tracking or to make your position known. In chapter 5 there are two lists, one for things that keep you safe, the other for emergency situations. "Matches" are on both and "First Aid Kit" appears twice on the second list but should be on the first one too.
Section 2 starts with "conditioning yourself". Unfortunately there are no details what the author did, only that he trained for 2 years. A super short primer on body mechanics tells you to go to a professional to fix issues?!
Chapter 7 has the advise that you need plenty of carbs (I will not argue with him, everyone has to figure out eating on his own). The example list on the other hand only contains 1 food high in carbs (wholegrain breads). Nuts and seeds are high in fat and proteins, Yoghurt (really? on a hike?) has only many carbs when you look at the American market (I prefer to make my own and add fruits). Fruits and vegetables are also a weird choice for hiking because of their low energy density.
The next chapters are better and I liked his advises how to prevent blisters (keep your feet dry, remove shoes and socks during a rest). I would have expected a longer comparison between trail running shoes, which have become really popular, versus hiking boots.
I have similar complaints for the chapter about backpacks. Not enough details, not even a list of essential things the author had with him on his own trip. A good friend of mine did the Camino long time ago and he told me that after 3 days he threw away most of the stuff because "you don't need them". Such kind of insights would have served the book well. I was also waiting for a revelation why the author got injured in 2017 and what he learnt from it.
At the end there are finally the equipment checklists I was hoping for. Some weird decisions are among them. I would never take bananas with me, they are too sensitive and can be messy. "Healthy munchies" are nice but really, you can eat healthy at home. During the hike watch out for energy density (400kJ per 100g or more) to make your backpack lighter. More details what should go into the First Aid Kit would be appreciated as well, and isn't the blister treatment part of that?
Well, 1 star might seem to harsh but considering the limited amount of information and the high original price I can't recommend the guide. You are better off watching videos on YouTube (I like the one from Kraig Adams).
I hesitate to call The Joy of Walking... a "book". It's one of these self-published guides that try to exploit the Kindle Unlimited program, or who would pay more than 6 bucks for 40 pages?
The first 3 chapters are a good introduction to invite people to go on a hike.
The 2 chapters about safety are very short. Published in 2019 the guide completely fails to look at useful apps for your phone especially for GPS tracking or to make your position known. In chapter 5 there are two lists, one for things that keep you safe, the other for emergency situations. "Matches" are on both and "First Aid Kit" appears twice on the second list but should be on the first one too.
Section 2 starts with "conditioning yourself". Unfortunately there are no details what the author did, only that he trained for 2 years. A super short primer on body mechanics tells you to go to a professional to fix issues?!
Chapter 7 has the advise that you need plenty of carbs (I will not argue with him, everyone has to figure out eating on his own). The example list on the other hand only contains 1 food high in carbs (wholegrain breads). Nuts and seeds are high in fat and proteins, Yoghurt (really? on a hike?) has only many carbs when you look at the American market (I prefer to make my own and add fruits). Fruits and vegetables are also a weird choice for hiking because of their low energy density.
The next chapters are better and I liked his advises how to prevent blisters (keep your feet dry, remove shoes and socks during a rest). I would have expected a longer comparison between trail running shoes, which have become really popular, versus hiking boots.
I have similar complaints for the chapter about backpacks. Not enough details, not even a list of essential things the author had with him on his own trip. A good friend of mine did the Camino long time ago and he told me that after 3 days he threw away most of the stuff because "you don't need them". Such kind of insights would have served the book well. I was also waiting for a revelation why the author got injured in 2017 and what he learnt from it.
At the end there are finally the equipment checklists I was hoping for. Some weird decisions are among them. I would never take bananas with me, they are too sensitive and can be messy. "Healthy munchies" are nice but really, you can eat healthy at home. During the hike watch out for energy density (400kJ per 100g or more) to make your backpack lighter. More details what should go into the First Aid Kit would be appreciated as well, and isn't the blister treatment part of that?
Well, 1 star might seem to harsh but considering the limited amount of information and the high original price I can't recommend the guide. You are better off watching videos on YouTube (I like the one from Kraig Adams).
Displaying 1 of 1 review