Out of the Dark Season and Onwards!

New Boots (#5), Subtly Different from the Old Boots (#4)

Superbowl weekend arrives, and that can only mean passage out of another Dark Season, the most useless and testing three moths of the year, and as I've not had my walking boots on since Hallowe'en, it's time to start planning for 2016's Walking Season once again. Last Year had a lot of miles, indeed a handsome personal best, but I don't think a pace of 600+ miles is something I need to try matching. After all, I'd like to be a bit more personally sociable along the way of this year, taking time out for drinks and such, and I'm going to have to be breaking in Pair of Boots #5 as I go, Pair #4 having been retired with over 1,000 miles under their soles, and ultimately unusable due to being worn through on the heels and loaded with leaky seals. So bring on the latest pair from Mountain Warehouse, acquired after an odyssey that took in the stores at Batley and Guiseley, and even though they appear to be exactly the same as my last couple, they go by the name of Python, rather than Viper, and they seem ever so slightly narrower, so might be snug and need some breaking in, when previous pairs had been 'plug and play'.

The long haul through the dark season also brought me other rewards, Christmas seeing me finally gain a pair of Binoculars for my bag, courtesy of My Sister and Dr G, as far too many high points and viewpoints have been passed without me being able to get a proper look at what I can see, and whilst My Parents dropped me the cash for boots, I also gained myself a small legacy, care of our deceased relative RT, which should cover a whole bunch of other costs in the coming year. Hopefully that should cover me a new laptop, the old one having died in December and all computer works since have been done on an under-powered Notebook (remember those?), and new camera too as my Fuji Finepix E900 is starting to look like its been in the wars after service since 2011. The greatest gift, of course, is My Dad's recovery after his hospitalisation last year, in the last month his stamina and mobility have improved hugely, good for 20 minutes of  walking without his walker and with a stick, and stamina for a good 45 minutes of shuffling in the town or around the supermarket. That's not a great deal more than he'd have been doing in the past, and status of his condition is best illustrated by the fact that as I write this, My Parents are away enjoying 10 days of Rest 'n' Relaxation, and if flying to the Mediterranean is within their compass, two weeks of holiday away with me ought to be a breeze!

So 'What's on the Slate for Walking Season #5 in 2016, then?, I hear you wondering.

• Time to hit the National Trails again, and the most easily approachable is The Wolds Way, six days of trekking the hills of East Yorkshire between Hessle and Filey Brigg, with accommodation for the first half already arranged!
• More Trails in Leeds, still looking under walked after 4 years, and more attempts to take in Bradford as well, visited only twice so far.
• Cut more trails to the north and east of Leeds, probe further around Lower Wharfedale, and take steps to meet the Washburn Valley and Nidderdale too.
• Split the remainder of west Yorkshire in half and focus attention to north of the Aire and Calder divide, seeking out the spots that have gotten missed so far.
• Strike to York, on the plans for last year but dropped, but I already have three different trails planned to go that way.
• Do Social Walking again, either with friends, not seen on the trail since 2014, or with my work colleagues, some of whom are outdoors enthusiastic, and could be persuaded onto a trip to the pubs on the edges of Rombalds Moor or to a more distant Dales away day!
• Visit My Sister a little more often and do the Witton Weavers Way, perhaps? I know I keep promising it and failing, but it has to happen eventually!
• More realistically, look on to 2,000 solo miles, and 2,000 miles Up Country, easily within reach at current pace, and look for 500 miles in 2016, as 3,000 miles before I'm 43 is the next step on the road to 5,000!

So, it's time to look past the grotty weather that is promising to cover, and spoil, my three day Superbowl weekend and to dust off last year's statistics and to set course for new sights and new trails, or taking fresh looks at old places and tracks from unfamiliar angles, continuing to exercise my body and expand my experience in these lands that I love, Onward!

5,000 Miles Cumulative Total: 2014.4 miles
Up Country Total: 1840.7 miles
Solo Total: 1784.3 miles

Next on the Slate: Fresh trails away from Morley, to West Leeds!