My faucets have chosen the day of my departure to run nasty, brown water. It's the hot-water pipe only—the very pipe I need if I plan to take a warm, tolerable shower. I've been running my taps at full strength for over thirty minutes (some websites suggest the water clears up after only twenty minutes), and the water is just as brown now as it was when I started running the taps.
Solution: pack up, leave, and take a shower at the motel tonight if I really think it'll be necessary. It won't. Now begins my month of malodor; when I take a shower at the end of a day of walking, it's mostly to remove the grit and sweat-salt from my body, not because I'm intent on smelling like a rose. During the day, I get pretty ripe and, well, if you meet me on the road when I'm mid-hike, you're just going to have to deal with the noisome reality that is me.
So that's the plan. I've neatened up my place in order to have something nice to return to in late October: the garbage has been taken out, the floor's been lint-rollered, the sinks and the toilet have been scrubbed (with brown water, alas), and that's about it. I've gathered up all my travel items and have taken a pic of them, pre-assembly, which I'll display soon.
I wasn't able to get an extra cell-phone battery; I think, though, that I won't need an extra battery as long as I have my suck-ass portable charger (the Samsung service center that I visited last night was selling better power packs for cheaper, which left me kicking myself for going to Yongsan Jeonja Land to buy my current underpowered power pack). I also wasn't able to buy a goat's foot for my trekking pole: I went to Costco last night, and while the place was selling the same Cascade brand trekking poles as the ones I currently own, the poles' feet were peg-style and flimsy, not the tough goat's feet that I've gotten used to. I might see about buying a goat's foot during my walk, if that's possible. If not, well... I'll take my chances with the worn-down goat's foot that I have. Luckily, the wear and tear are all at an angle, through the thickest part of the foot's rubber, so I think the goat's foot I have will make this trip. Let us pray.
I'll slap up the pic I took soon, and once I'm in Incheon this evening, I might write another post before the big launch tomorrow (Monday) morning. Stay tuned.
2 comments:
I use a walking stick on my hikes in the hills--for balance going up and as a brake coming down. I put it away on flat ground. I'm not familiar with the concept of trekking poles and what purpose they serve in distance walking. If you get a chance to explain that I'm all ears...
A trekking pole is just a glorified walking stick. On level ground, I use mine to lean on when I'm tired, and to push myself along like a gondolier in Venice when I realize I'm going too slowly. I think I also get a kick out of feeling as if I'm using a cane.
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