Papa Bear Hikes

To Walk It Is To See It

Papa Bear Hikes Season 3 Episode 98

In this episode, Martin speaks with author Kathy Elkind about her newly released
memoir, To Walk It Is To See It: 1 Couple, 98 Days, 1400 Miles on Europe’s GR5.

About the author: 

Kathy Elkind is a long-distance walker, writer, and speaker. Along with her husband she has walked the GR5, the Anda­lusian Coast to Coast Walk in Southern Spain, and parts of the Cammino Mater­ano in Italy. She can be reached at www.kathyelkind.com. Kathy lives in the Mad River Valley of Vermont.  TO WALK IT IS TO SEE IT is her first book.

DESCRIPTION:

In 2018, Kathy Elkind and her husband decided to take a grown-up “gap year” in Europe and walk the 1,400-mile Grande Randonnée Cinq (GR5) across The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France.

At fifty-seven, Kathy has chosen comfort over hardship: Unlike the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Coast Trail, the GR5 winds from village to village instead of campsite to campsite. She and Jim get to indulge in warm beds and delicious regional food every night and croissants in the mornings. The GR5 is not all comfort. Walking day after day for ninety-eight days bring sickness, accommodation struggles, language barriers, and storm-shrouded mountains in the Alps. Meanwhile, Kathy finds herself reflecting on difficult topics; primarily, her struggles with dyslexia, overeating, and shame. She discovers her own wise strength; and as the days unfold, she comes to the gratifying realization that a long marriage is like a long trail: there are ups and downs and it takes hard work to keep going, but the beauty along the way is staggering.

Written with raw honesty and compassion, and rich with dazzling scenery, To Walk It Is To See It will inspire you to lace up your walking shoes and discover your own path.

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Get outside, have fun and be safe!
Martin Armitage,
Host of the Papa Bear Hikes Podcast
https://www.papabearhikes.com/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/papa-bear-hikes/id1541491746
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