The Cool Bloggers Walking Club: Week #5

Because of how the days of October ended up falling, we had “five” weeks in our challenge. Today is the final roundup. I’m both relieved – it is a surprising amount of work to pull together all the pictures and blog links – and wistful. It has been a delight to travel vicariously along the streets and forests and shores of our giant planet as a band of walking companions and I’m going to miss this form of blogging community connection.

Thanks to everyone who participated. Thanks to everyone who submitted pictures. Thanks to everyone who didn’t walk but cheered us on or pursued intentional movement in other ways. I’m planning to host another walking challenge in April. Doing this twice a year, on a 6-month rotation, feels doable. Plus, April is the perfect month to increase outdoor activity in Canada since we’ll finally be emerging from winter.

First up, my walks:

• Day #25: Indy wanted to see if a friend was available to play and wisely conned me into approving the request because he said walking me over would allow me to fit in my ten-minute walk. His friend wasn’t available, but he found some different friends to play with en route home. He also managed to spot a gigantic leaf (the perspective in this picture doesn’t do the size justice; it was huge). A measly 0.66 km, but it felt refreshing to get outside. Later we took a 7.08 km walk as a family.
• Day #26: 3.97 km walk with Joy; we walked by a home with a bottle sculpture. I’ve seen it dozens of times in the last a decade, but this was the first time I’d stopped to take a picture!
• Day #27: 5.84 km; it was windy and chilly, but John and I still had a lovely walk through a local trail system.
• Day #28: Lots of driving to get to my parents but the reward was a 1.14 km walk with my mom, followed by a 1.53 km walk with my dad through the woods on their property. (It’s hunting season, hence the orange garb.)
• Day #29: We had a busy day and spent a chunk of it in the car…but I still managed a 0.84 km walk with my mom, and another walk (1.05 km) through the woods with my dad. It was beautiful <3
• Day #30: A short-and-sweet 1.06 km walk with Mom.
• Day #31: One of the most beautiful walks of the year for me; a wooded hike to a remote lake with my father. 3.91 km of pure natural and relational delight. Later in the day, we tried another new-to-me hike: 2.36 km.

AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE

• Friends, if Suzanne did not post the picture-perfect representation of what this walking club is all about, then the Earth is flat, pigs can fly, and I do not have an unhealthy attachment to Magic Bags. If you happen to be feeling emotionally blue today, read her post. It is sure to leave you with a smile on your face.
• Allison continued to get her walk on; alas, Eve had to go back to school, but Lucy remained a constant and eager companion.
• Julie went walking and spotted a beautiful rainbow.
• You likely figured that Engie and Hannah were going to knock walking out of the park again. They did. And then poor Engie caught COVID. Hannah kept things going strong in the walking department, she just made sure a different human fit in their steps.
• I was impressed to read that Tobia organized a date day with her husband to make sure she was able to fit in her daily walk!

San and Michelle’s finished selfie trackers are so much fun!

• Jacquie and her daughter visited Maan Farms in Abbotsford. “The ice cream is pumpkin spice with a ginger cookie and a dollop of whip cream in a real mini pumpkin. It was delicious, and I’m glad we decided to split it because it was huge!” Isn’t that presentation adorable?!
• Lisa fit in a run (look at those leaves!) and then took a little trail home from church (more gorgeous leaves!) – all in a single Sunday morning!
• Michelle added some Halloween flare to her selfie for the final day of the walking challenge.
• Katherine sent more photos from Boston (England), all steeped in history. The first picture is of “the medieval Guildhall where some of the Pilgrim Fathers were once imprisoned, before being released, heading to Holland and then on the Mayflower to the New World. You can still see the cells they were held in. Then Fydell House next door, a grand 17^th century town house and another shot of St Botolph’s Church, looking rather different from my last photo.”

• Nicole continues her dreamy vacation in Italy. This week she sent pictures from a hiking adventure in Cinque Terre. Doesn’t it look amazing? The only thing missing is Rex…
• Kyria sent some pictures from her most recent adventures.

• Tobia has been moving daily in Germany! One day, she walked through a nature reserve (where she can hear frogs in the spring). She enjoyed a night-time walk along the river with the full moon. And she and her husband incorporated the walking club into their date. About the CBWC she writes: “It was a fun way to get outside and my goal is to keep the momentum going…My plan is to do a lunch walk with a coffee every weekday at least.” 
• Sabine sent three pictures from the Netherlands. The first was from a last-minute evening walk. The second was taken at the seaside while her kids were on autumn break. And the last one is from a favourite walking and cycling route. The big, beautiful tree is located in a local cemetery and serves as a reminder of a dear friend – that loved to be physically active – who passed away unexpectedly earlier this year.
• Bonus picture from one of my walks (the math didn’t quite work out for my collages).

• Julie sent photos from California where she has continued to walk daily! She writes: “I haven’t been sending photos of my walks because I go so early most days, the lighting isn’t great, and I walk in the suburbs so there isn’t that NATURE thing going on, blah blah blah.” I’m here to say I love receiving pictures of everything – blah, blah, blah images are welcome here!
• And our walking club wouldn’t feel complete without some final KANGAROO PICTURES FROM SOPHIE. Sorry I’m yell-typing, but I still can’t get over the fact some people see actual kangaroos while out for mid-day walks. I would definitely turn around if I encountered the Hunstman spiders she spotted another day…
• Bonus picture from one of my walks (the math didn’t quite work out for my collages).

And that’s a wrap. I hope everyone continues to pursue active adventures! Happy weekending and happy walking. See you Monday.