Doing some more #caminosantiago Training today: Hiked up Signal Hill where apparently rock throwing is a thing... it was not a rigorous hike, only about 4 KM/ 2.5 miles and that was only because I ended up looping around a second time in part by accident. The original path was 2 miles but sections of it have been closed because of the rock throwers. The wealthy homeowners nearby decided that the vandals who hike this path did not actually deserve a hiking path so they closed portions of it that overlook the mansions. My colleague, the mother of a teen boy tells me this is the stalking ground of disgruntled teens. We really need more community teen centers so the kids have something better to do than go up on signal Hill to get high and throw stones...but I digress. There were beautiful views and the Los Angeles skyline could be seen in the distance ( about 25 clicks away). The path was more a road and the scenery was a mix of nature, oil rigs, mansions, industrial parks, and actual parks. So in this regard it was similar to the Camino- more a tour of a land than a hike through nature. No disgruntled teens were spotted, alas. I wore my Donner hiking boots. I have two pairs of hiking boots and one pair of hiking shoes so I am trying them all out in hope that I don’t have to buy any new ones for the trip. Today I wore a regular backpack with about ten lbs in it to see how that felt. Eventually I will need to carry 15 lbs and hike about 6-8 hours a day doing anywhere from 10-20 KM/ day for 30-35 days if I walk the entire Camino Frances... My current goal is to increase my distance but eventually my goal will change to time and endurance. When I am not hiking I am teaching workshops in southern California, seeing clients, and working on the next iteration of the Women of Color Medicine Series and the Medicine Apprenticeship Program. I have yet to send out the acceptance letters and am still looking for a venue in Oakland or Berkeley... so DM me if you know of a spot big enough for about 15 people. My guides say that if I am meant to keep flying up to the Bay to teach and heal then the way will be made clear and the work will be filled with ease and grace.

via Instagram