Right out of my Bucket List

Day 695 - few years ago I watched the movie The Bucket List with my daughter and I loved the idea of building such a list, of having a list of the things I want to do before I kick the bucket. My list is very long of course; sometimes I joke that it's so long I'll never die, but I slowly go through this list, fulfilling some dreams, scrapping some that I don't see any more as a "must do" and adding new ones; it is a live list and it reflects me and how I feel at any given moment. I really like the idea and it  surprises me that not many more people have such lists. One of the biggest items on my list is hiking the Israel Trail. It is a 940 km long trail, and was recently chosen as one of the 10 best trails in the world. It is a difficult one and special and I have it on my list from the first day I assembled it. During my hikes with my hiking group we walked sections of the trail but the ultimate way to do that is to hike it all at once. At my age and physical condition it will probably take about two and a half months. Can you even imagine - staying outdoors, subjected to the elements for such a long time? walking slowly along the path like a turtle, carrying all my food, water and survival supplies on my back... I am a hopeless romantic, I am also a woman who likes to reach for the impossible, or at least to test her limits to the breaking point. So of course this trail is a big item on my list. Sadly, I cannot just get off the wagon for two months; I cannot just leave my work and go on the road. But I still want to do that. So I figured it is OK to make the trail in 3-4 sections. It still gives me the feeling of being on the road for a long time; it still challenges me with the struggle of utmost exhaustion and weather the elements and being in the desert in the middle of the winter; it is still a timeout I will carve out of my life for something that is both physical and spiritual journey. And as I said a while back my partner already walked this trail in its entirety, and he is ready to walk it again with me. We are planning to start it next month so the next few weeks will be very busy with shopping for the right items, and some serious training so we will not be totally unfit when we hit the trail. It is a serious trail and one should not take it lightly, because it can end badly for the unprepared. I am so excited about this upcoming epic journey; even in sections, it is still a huge feat. And I am so happy I have such an amazing partner for this journey;  I know it will be the most bonding experience one can have. I feel the road is calling me; the next few weeks it will get stronger and it will be so hard to wait for this trip to begin... I am sooo excited about it!!
   
I am thankful the universe brought us together; I don't think I could ask for a better partner. I am thankful for having such a partner that even though he is 8 years older than when he first attempted the trail he is willing to walk it again with me. I am thankful for the weeks of excitement ahead of us as we plan the trail in details and as we start training. I am thankful for this epic journey ahead of us. I am thankful that at the age of 55(almost) I can still dream big and have the stamina and the physical ability to see it through.