the forest path
Sometime near the end of last November or beginning of December I managed to hurt my left heel. For the first two weeks or so I didn’t allow myself to think too much about it and kept my daily routine of walking (usually some three to five miles, depending on the weather and my inclinations), but it became progressively more painful and around the middle of December I decided to make an effort to rest. No more walking.
It is a melancholy thing to give up (even temporarily) something one likes to do. Mostly I consoled myself with reading, which is very fine, but not quite the same thing. Finally, in the middle of February, I was able to go for rather short walks, only on level ground, just down to the ranger station and back. I couldn’t go every day, but I could go most days, and it was a start. I’ve been making progress, but there is a temptation to be lazy – is that a twinge I feel? Perhaps I should rest. It is not a twinge, though, just the side effects of disuse. I return to my walk.
The other day I went beyond my comfort zone and ventured up a forest path that I had never walked up before. It is not along my usual trail, but a spur off side road: no motorized vehicles allowed. Wide enough to accommodate a small cart, the path was quite steep. Fifty yards or so revealed its terminus – a water cistern, probably for fire-fighting. I continued up to the tank and walked around it; to the west there was a smaller trail branching off. It looked moderately well kept and I followed it a short way – only to discover it twisted off and up the ravine: more of an adventure than my still-recovering heel would allow. Worth noting down, though, for another day.