Walking Interlaken
Many times a day, you can drive down Grasmere and catch a slowly ambling duo, crossing the streets and sniffing the fire hydrants. You might catch us pre dawn at 5, midday at noon, again at 3, then 6, and then our wind down mile between 9 and 10pm. You might see our silhouettes but you may not be sure it’s me; since the weather changed, I’ve invested in serious cold weather gear and I am mostly obscured by fabric. I’ve got fleece and Sherpa lined leggings, special running tights for the cold, vests, base layers, baclava and what Slate.com named the warmest winter coat, the LL Bean Baxter parka. It actually turned out to be TOO warm; I returned it for a lighter down coat after a near fainting spell. I am a big fan of all things Patagonia, Cotopaxi, LL Bean & Under Armour for my cold weather needs.
I never thought I’d be the type to voluntarily and enthusiastically venture into the cold 4-5 times a day but I’m addicted to walking. One of the main reasons I wanted to get a dog was to have someone to walk with me besides my thoughts and podcasts. Pete has fulfilled all my walking desires and since I trained him more thoroughly over the last year, I look forward to our walks. He’s made friends with all the neighbor dogs; I know all the animals names and none of the pet parents. I know which ones I like and which ones I cross the street to get away from. You can tell a lot about people by how they handle their dog; I’ve found there’s a decent amount of crazy dog people in Interlaken, Loch Arbour, West Allenhurst + more.
Recently we’ve been walking later at night to see all the Christmas lights. I’ve been documenting my favorite houses on my Instagram Stories. They’re under the Holidays highlight. Let me know your favorite.
Walking has taught me to savor the lights in these silent, dark days; to push my body so I feel the reward of 3 completed rings on my Apple Watch; and to connect more with Pete, who’s never happier than when he’s walking.
I invite you all to walk it out. Come join us one day. We’ll be out there.
