Day 4 of Hadrian's Wall walk. What a doozy! I left Gilsland early this morning because there were reports of a bad storm moving over the trail and I wanted to get ahead of it. But I was smart, I asked for a ride down to the start of the trail to avoid an extra mile of downhill walking. Thanks to Astin for the lift!
Then I was off, walking along the wall and taking in the sights. The first bit was much of the same from yesterday, through fields and over small crests. I walked with a local for a bit and spoke to an archeologist on a recent site. It was all so pretty and I was feeling good. This was Cumbria.
But then I got into Northumberland and it's a whole new level. It's rugged and wild. And the hills. Oh my gosh. The hills. They never end! Now, I did have the opportunity to see stretches of original Hadrian's Wall, built by the Romans in AD 122. So that was amazing. And the views in all directions are just so big and immemse that it's hard not to feel so insignificant and small.
But the hills. They were a real challenge. And completely unexpected. In all my preparations and reading, I knew this was a hilly day but nothing prepared me for the mental and physical challenge of finishing this stage. Just when I thought, this has to be the last peak, the highest.... nope, I'd crest and see another 3 in front of me. When I thought those would be peaks in a few days.... nope, that was part of today's walk. This walk is a real challenge. And it took everything in me to get today done.
But the views are spectacular and it felt amazing to be looking out and seeing miles and miles of land in all directions.
At the end of today's walk, I finished at the highest point of the whole trail (345 meters above sea level), amongst the cleanest air in England, and I have covered (as per the guide book, not my Garmin) 65.6 km or 41 miles. So almost half the whole trail.
But my body is starting to show the mileage I've put it through. I have asked my body to go just a bit further so many times over the past 4 days. And it has done it. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. But my worry now is that I'll ask one too many times and my body won't be able to respond. My feet, not just my blistered toes, are showing stress. My ankle (injured 5 years ago and never healed properly) is holding up but barely. And I'm struggling to stay positive in the face of another 4 days of more of the same but in reverse (so many hills, then walking along a highway, then through a city).
I'm realizing now my dream was to walk Hadrian’s Wall and I can say I've done that. So, from here on out, each day will be an opportunity to assess where I'm at and whether I want to keep walking. Now, it's taken many tears to get to this point (Mom and Dad can attest to this.... they always get my weepy calls when I finish a day and have nothing left to give) but I would regret pushing too far and getting injured. As I said, this trail is the real deal. And it's taken a lot of perseverance and grit and heart to get this far. If I can just get to Sycamore Gap (which is a mile away), I'd be content and happy with my journey!
I do appreciate all the support and encouragement as I took each step. It just feels like I'm close to making a hard but mature decision. I'll keep you posted! In the meantime, know that I've loved sharing this journey with all of you!
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