So the Tough Hikes Big Year is on the scrapheap. But I still plan to do something I call a Long Hikes Big Year. A calendar year that might involve four 800-km pilgrimage-style walks, each taking 5 to 7 weeks depending upon my daily commitment. The iconic one is, of course, the Camino de Santiago. Others might need to be constructed out of thin air.
If mountains no longer seem attractive, why do long trudges? Well, I believe I can ask my wife and others to join me for short stretches, so such walks need not be so lonely. Second, recent many-day hikes, such as the Coast to Coast, were both enjoyable and enriching. Finally, I reckon I can turn the notion of a pilgrimage into something that suits my hairshirt mentality better – maybe I can walk mornings and write novels in the afternoons. Wouldn’t that be interesting?