Nearly fourteen months after my first knee replacement, and six months after my second knee replacement, I’m back to being a regular walker. I walk pretty much everyday, whether it’s walking around campus, around Toronto, or taking Cheddar around the neighbourhood. I make my ever increasing step count most days.
A few weeks ago we visited my son Miles who is working in Whitney, on the edge of Algonquin, and went on some more serious hikes. These were walks on trails through the woods, over rocks and stumps, up and down hills. Surprisingly (to me) I did ok! All of this has made me start thinking about some more serious hiking and longer trails. The photos below are from one those hikes, The Lookout Trail. That’s Miles and Cheddar at the top (on the left) and Sarah and me at the top (on the right).
Cheddar loves walking on trails with us and that’s got me thinking about some longer hikes.
We’ve been to the Cheltenham Badlands but I also want to go walk in the Terra Cotta Conservation Area and the Limestone Conservation Area. Also on my list is Crawford Lake Conservation Area, notable in part because it’s been chosen to mark the beginning of the Anthropocene Era.
All of these hikes are pretty close to home but I’ve also been thinking about more distant places to hike.
I also love the idea of inn to inn hikes in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and day hikes in Iceland. It feels incredibly liberating to be able to walk again and I’m going to appreciate the heck out of my new knees. I am spending (still) a lot of time on physio but it all feels worthwhile when I’m out in nature, with my feet on the ground, and moving myself from place to place.
I still love my bicycle (don’t get wrong) but it’s been years since I’ve been able to do this and I’m feeling pretty excited about the possibilities.
