Stats and stuff

This brief post is a summary of some more practical aspects of the walk, to contrast with my philosophical ramblings up to now.

The following table is the full summary of my statistics (click on it to see in single screen, and zoom further if you need to).

The "ambling" is my estimate, based on counted steps, of the walking I did that wasn't hiking - such as walking around Navarrenx a few times after I arrived there. The intensity is my invention (I think!) of how hard, crudely, a hike is: the total ascent divided by the distance. You can see how this compares with my average heart rate in the graph below:

For comparison, when I do a five mile walk with my dog at home, where we have no hills and the paths are reasonably level grass trails, I average around 3½ mph (5½ km/h) and with this, which is a reasonably rapid pace for me, my heart averages around 110bpm for over an hour, compared with my resting heart rate of around 65bpm.

In terms of equipment, this is what I took:

Clothes	1 pair good, comfortable walking shoes or boots (degree of water-proof depends on region and expected weather: err on cautious side).  1-2 sizes too big (foot swelling)
	1 pair lightweight indoor shoes or slippers
	3 pairs underwear, 2 pairs walking socks, one pair domestic socks
	3 walking tunics/t-shirts, one domestic t-shirt
	Woollen sweater
	Walking lightweight fleece gilet
	Lightweight waterproof mac (also helps in wind)
	One pair walking shorts, one pair walking trousers; corresponding belts
	Snood, gloves, baseball cap
	Hand flannel, 2x handkerchief, bandana
Medical:	General: anti-inflammatory painkiller pills, immodium
	Specific: unique to you (in my case, knee brace, asthma spray)
Rucksack:	High quality rucksack (I had Osprey 44 litre)
	Camel-bak hydration system, for convenience of not having to remove rucksack to drink, provided supported by rucksack
	Hi-viz rucksack cover (rain proof: I used this even in the dry, for visibility on roads)
	Telescopic walking poles (consider how to carry when not using: some rucksacks have a system for this)
Feet:	Moleskin roll (sticks to areas of incipient rubbing)
	Vaseline, later superseded by Nok cream
	Compeed / metatarsal pads
Books:	Try to put as much as possible on the phone, but a core guide book is still a good idea; maps; map-holder round the neck if that's your style
General:	Blow-up pillow, selection of small / mid-sized plastic bags, water bottle to complement camel-bak, string, elastic bands, safety pins, swiss army knife, spork (for eating)
Toiletries:	Toothpaste/brush, deodorant, shaving gear, sunscreen & lip balm, nail clippers. Bar of unscented soap (ideally savon de Marseille) for clothes, hair and body.  Wetwipes/tissues
Life:	Passport, wallet & cards, driving license
	Phone (ensure torch function works), phone charger & plug, lightweight external booster battery, earbuds if you need them, sports watch to track stats (including charging lead)

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