Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp,
Or what's a heaven for?
As I've mentioned here before I've got friends in Blighty, real English farmers who raise crops and livestock in Herefordshire (which the blooger/gurgle algoreythm believes to be misspelt, along with misspelt!).
As I've also mentioned here before (I think?) I've visited Great Britain several times. I loved it every time. But back then, many decades ago, I was engaged in doing navy stuff first, birding second, and sampling beer third.
On occasion my friends share images and video with me via one of those smartphone app thingies, and I share Nebraska images and video in return.
In very many cases, viewing still and moving pictures of England produces a great sense of longing, a feeling that visiting those places would be a good thing.
This morning, while perusing a few of those digitised (c'mon, blooger/gurgle!) visual treats, my mind was poleaxed with a brilliant idea.
I must admit that in part the idea came from a Top Gear segment where Jeremy Clarkson drove from Land's End in southwest Blighty to John o' Groats, way up at the tippy-top of Scotland.
So what about it then? I want to visit Blighty and do some serious looking about. Why not combine that with actual boots on the ground hiking? Great Britain is often said to be a nation of walkers, and by law private land owners are required to let walkers cross their property (not sure I'd approve of that were I a Brit land owner). How hard could it be?
Of course it would be very hard. Done correctly, the hiking wouldn't be that bad. The distance is 800-ish road miles. Walking path miles would be more like 1,200. That wouldn't be all that hard, especially if buckled down and seriously prepared myself physically, mentally, and spiritually.
The hard part would be the logistics. Shoes, clothing, food, water, shelter, route, crossing the pond twice, communications, and a host of things I've not thought of yet.
So doable? Yes. Am I willing to do it? Not today. Is it a great idea? I think it is. Am I going to explore the possibility? Yes.
As with all campaigns my ability to execute this one successfully will depend on the physical, mental, and spiritual ability of the troops (troop in my case), getting the logistics right, fighting through the inevitable Clausewitzian friction, and not getting sidetracked by the beer and birds.
Is it a stupid idea? Well, how do you define stupid? I reckon that by societal "norms" the idea would be judged stupid. Why do a hard thing if you don't have to, and how would you possibly get the hours and hours of daily propaganda you need to survive? Besides, old codgers are expected to sit down, STFU, and croak out behind the curtain and at a convenient time.
Toss in the madman's giggle here. I've spent six decades destroying the hopes and dreams of those who've wanted to make me their property. Why stop now?
Reality being what it is, this thing might well be impossible(ish) for me. But I won't know until I crunch some numbers and see just how impossible it would be.
Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.
Oh yeah, have you heard that given the ongoing viral death scare Corona Beer recently changed its name to Ebola Beer?
Yeah, I know.
Oh yeah, have you heard that given the ongoing viral death scare Corona Beer recently changed its name to Ebola Beer?
Yeah, I know.
Wonderful idea. Write a book about your experience. Your write a great blog so a book isn't out of your reach.
ReplyDeleteCapital idea! I wonder if I could get some dumbshit publisher to front some logistical costs? Probably not. But it's still a great idea! And that gives me another idea, which I'll throw in as I publicly explore possibilities.
DeleteThanks for stopping by and commenting!
Well, I was going to write ' take lots of pictures for your blog ', but WSF's idea is much better. When you do write the book, if you need/want a first reader or editor, I am available.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post.
Paul L. Quandt
If it happens I'll take lots of pictures for the blog whether a book happens or not. And having an editor who knows how to slap recalcitrant publishers around would be a big help.
DeleteThanks for stopping by and commenting Paul!
My dad was an avid cyclist and upon his retirement in the late 1980s, he rode his bicycle across the USA. It was a supported ride that began in WA and ended in ME. Believe it took about 8 weeks, he was in his early 60s at the time. Supported means they had cars follow along to fix flats and had lodging each night. I am sure it must have been pricey, and he did make it all the way. He regularly rode his bicycle from northern 'burbs of Minneapolis to Duluth in one day, hop on a train and ride that back to MPLS. He was still doing that in his 60s.
ReplyDeleteI think you should give this a try, would be a challenge for sure, so worth it in the end. There is a trail in the Sierra Nevada called Pacific Crest Trail, from SOCAL to WA, about 2.5K miles. There are youtube vids done by hikers, would think they have many pointers on how to prepare before going on a long expedition. If you do this, I will buy you your first pair of shoes or boots. Bet the locals would enjoy seeing you along the way, and you would likely get a lot of meals "comp'd".
Jim
Thanks Jim, that's a cool thing your Dad was doing. I'll spend some time researching the Pacific Crest Trail. There's a wealth of information out there and though it can be time consuming it's not all that hard to separate the informative wheat from the click-bait chaff.
DeleteLots of training ahead as well as lots of logistics work. Crazy idea is without question doable so long as I actually do it.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
This is an excellent idea, not dumb at all. I would enjoy seeing your videos of your trek up the UK.
ReplyDeleteThe book ain't a half bad idea either.
The core of the thing is an audacious sounding challenge. The blog and internet and u2b give me an opportunity to take you guys along, which is cool. The book thing is another grand challenge. So now I've got some big and little goals to push me out of my badly rutted comfort zone, and in my crazy mind that's a very good thing.
DeleteThanks Sarge, and thanks for stopping by and commenting!
I really want to walk Hadrian's Wall, guess that's the easy way to walk across the British Isles. Still need to figure out the logistics but I think it's doable.
ReplyDeleteEasy until all those blue painted aborigines swarm you and start chopping away with their axes. ;-)
DeleteThat sounds like fun too and would have to be a blast.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!