I have been walking long walks in the mountains of western Canada for most of my adult life, beginning when I was twenty-five. These were always backpacking trips, so could not be much longer than 100 miles, for the distance that I could carry all my gear and food. A couple of years ago, I went to New Zealand and walked a couple of tracks, Round the Mountain Track on North Island and a shorter track on South Island. I avoided the tourist routes in favour of less traveled tracks and fitted those in around more extensive travels to see as much of the country as I could in five weeks. Since last year's camino, I find myself currently focused on Spain and the camino routes, and have little interest in trekking in other countries. However, my walks in the Rocky Mountains are still an important part of my life and I fit in as many as I can each summer. I shall be leaving again to walk from Banff to Lake Louise in June for ten days or so. I guess that my long walks have always been spiritual, so I prefer mountain walking alone and so far the pilgrimage routes in Spain seem to fit well in this. As I am getting older, the lure of carrying twenty kilos or more over mountain terrain is getting more challenging. I have never wanted to walk long treks in the United States, with the necessity of exiting from the trail to pick up prepared food packages. But the camino was a new adventure for me, so there is no telling what might come next. I think, however, that it is better designed for walking long distances through scenic terrain without having to carry too much, so is ideal for older bones.
