This is how my feet feel :D

 

Though, granted, I only had one blister this time - a stupid water bubble all around my little toe. Been a good girl. Back from the longest trek so far - almost 27 miles (43 km) - and I've discovered a fantastic new route: a 12 mile beauty of a walking path right alongside a river, with no interruptions and constant change of texture. From a field pathway to jungle-like paved deal, on and on and on in the shadow, listening to the birds and the stream.I started at five, so there were dawn mists everywhere, rising from the field and the path was so safe and lovely I let the dog off leash and only called her back if we met a runner or a fellow hiker, which were scarce.

          The second part of the hike was a bitch, though. First I deviated from my course, following the less well kept continuance of the path into a redneck trailer region, praying there won't be any dogs charging at us (happens all the fucking time!!) and then all of a sudden I was following the wrong damn river. I'm telling you, those things are mighty shifty. Of course I didn't have any map with me, certain this region is so familiar I couldn't possibly get lost, and then I had to call the General and describe the scenery to try and find out where the heck I am and where the heck I was supposed to be.

          Worst part of the walk was having no road to walk on other than the main driveway. No shoulder to speak of and the traffic was awful. Walking on asphalt is a bitch as it is, even though this time I wore running shoes with a foamy sole, but the cars passing so fast and so close by me is another complete turn off. We stopped by the river, on a shore we sometimes go to, to dip our toes in and literally cool our heels, but even though there was a lovely forest path on the other side, that now I know of, it would be impossible for us to cross the river to get to it. I mean, not impossible, but I would have to really try hard and throw the backpack across, the dog would probably hate it and have a hard time swimming while on a leash (off a leash she wouldn't swim it at all), and I would have to let the current take me down quite a bit. Luckily I didn't have my swimsuit or swim shoes with me, so, maybe next time. The one place where it would be possible to wade would be just before the shallow dam, but being an avid student of silt, I happen to know you can't wade before-dam rivers. It would be like wading a pudding. 

             My main desire from there on was finding paths that weren't the main road. Sometimes I got lucky, like from Mozirje, where my 2-p-m-crisis kicked in and I stopped for a coffee and took the two painkillers I now habitually take, and from Mozirje to Nazarje a lovely park hiking lane sticks to the water. And a little further on, but after that, again, the main traffic line. I chatted with an old lady who lives somewhere there and she told me that there's a sort of shortcut through the forest to get to where I was going, but I was running late (I thought I had until 6 pm, but Maja, who was going to pick me up and drive me back, finishes at 5 pm... Only later did she happen to have to work a bit longer, so all in all, I would have made it if I took the forest road). Ultimately we stopped one settlement before our destination, sitting down at a Okonina bus stop and we didn't get up again :)) I phoned Maja how far along is she and if she said she's a few minutes more, we'd get up and go on, but she said she's just getting in the car, so that was that. The dog's stopped speaking to me a while back :)))

           I didn't have the camera with me this time, so no real pickies to speak of, but I will do this again the first chance I get, knowing better... I now know what to wear, what to not take with me and where to save on the nerves, avoiding bad paths. There are paths not marked on any maps, which are not only idyllic but also ideal for this sort of walking. Here, I'll show you - in a few days :)