Three months later...

It doesn't seem like 3 months have passed since my last post...and the new year is upon us. We've done 3 organized walks, Cassadaga, FL, Halloween week-end, Ft Myers Beach, FL, a new YRE, and Oscar Scherer State Park YRE event, Thanksgiving weekend, two with the doggies and 1 without, unfortunately, pets are not allowed to walk on the public beach. There was an alternate route we could have used, but that way you miss most of the reason you are going in the first place.....oh well. Because of these walks and walking daily we have been able to loose some of our weight we gained while sitting behind a desk and eating snacks and drinking those sugary sodas. I am down 12 pounds and hubby is down 10, so at least something good has come from this. (during the holidays we've put some of it back on, but off it comes after the 1st.)
I hope some of you have found Volkssporting and enjoy it as much as we do...
See you on the trail...Would like to hear your experiences and those places you've walked or would like to....

All who wander are not lost.....

Volkssporting is Healthy....

Volkssporting is healthy for you, your family and your pets. When you do a volksmarch, its a 10k or 6.2 mile organized walk, you walk, bike, or swim, although most of the events in the USA are for walking. First of all you find an organized walk in a location near you or if you choose you can travel to one. The way to find the location of a walk is to go to AVA.org, click on "Find Walking Events" and find the walk you want to do. Then you go there and sign in, pay or not, if you choose to walk for free you can do so, but you won't be able to get any of the goodies that are included in the nominal fee. If you are a member of AVA you have a couple of books that get stamped with the sanction number and the date. When you have done 10 walks you send them in and get a package of goodies in return as well as new books. There are several types of books too. One for State Capitals, one for Lighthouses, one for State Parks and the list continues to grow almost weekly.
So grab your other half, your pet, or just yourself and look for a walk in your local vicinity or somewhere else and get out and WALK, its good for you, its good for your pet and it is good for the environment....

Can You Volkssport?

What is Volkssport? The best explanation I have found is:

"A Volkssport Event is an organized NON-COMPETITIVE walk, bike ride, swim, or cross-country ski through a scenic area over a pre-determined route designed for people of all ages. Participants travel at their own pace and several distances are usually available. Volkssports are ideal activities for the entire family, and also a great way to meet new friends. I found this explanation on the Canadian Volkssport Federation web site.

Your only competitor is yourself or maybe a member of your family, maybe even your pet. The above definition mentions skiing, I am a Florida resident so that one is a little difficult, but it can be done and some clubs organize some very nice ones so I've heard. Volkswalks or volksmarches as some call them, are organized 10k walks in and around areas of your town, your city, in the mountains, in the desserts, anywhere that 10k (6.2 miles) can be put together with some interesting sights or historical areas, some very nice areas of homes or even a park or forest. There are some done inside national and state parks. From what I've been told, Volkssporting was started in Germany and brought to the US by a military man from Texas, there are now clubs and organizations all over the United States, Canada and several countries around the world. Volkswalking can be done for pleasure or for credit, you can get rewards for the walks you complete or you can just do them for the enjoyment of seeing some really nice places, parks, neighborhoods or anything else that will constitute a 10k walk. One of my favorite walks was done on Sanibel Island, Florida, walking through some very nice neighborhoods, around a really historical lighthouse and along a beautiful white sandy beach. Another nice walk was put on by a club in the St Armonds Circle area of Florida. We walked around St Armonds Circle, out to Mote Marine Laboratory, through a very nice neighborhood and down a beach side boulevard. Sometimes you get to see some really nice nature while on the way, manatees in a river or spill way, some beautiful flowers and trees, or some very ornate statues, figures or formations. One of my favorite parts of doing these walks, is that we get to treat ourselves afterwards to lunch or some other treat we may not have done in some time. The photo above left is the Historic Sanibel Lighthouse and the photo above right is a statue of St. Francis of Assisi in a church yard on St Armonds Circle in Florida.