A quarter of a century ago, a cerebral runner named Tom Rutlin  began marketing the strapless Exerstrider fitness walking pole and with it, a more upright walking style that contrasted to the aggressive forward lean of the original European Nordic Walking technique. With further developments, Exerstriders found a special niche among seniors and people with balance issues or other physical challenges.

The TR3 — not s snappy vintage Triumph sports car but the latest model – the Exerstrider 25th Anniversary Edition TR3 is a travel/adventure 3-piece total body walking pole designed to deliver the same world class performance, value and quality as the popular OS2 model, but with the added convenience of telescoping down to just 25 inches for ultimate convenience when traveling or stowing in a pack or suitcase. It is suitable for use by walkers from 4 feet 6 inches to 6 feet 2 inches tall. Precise adjustment is accomplished via EZ-fit size markings on the lower shaft and a cam locking system. Adjustable poles are  suitable for anyone who travels by air and doesn’t want to leave home without them, for growing children and for people who want poles to share with family members or friends of different heights. The TR3 features celebratory graphics of black, gold and silver.

Other features of the T53:

• Exerstrider’s exclusive ERGO /SC ergonomic strapless grips designed for unrestricted comfort and safety.
• Equipped with both hardened carbide tips and CushionGrip tips.
• A pair of “trekking” baskets installed, as well as a pair of large interchangeable snow baskets for snowshoeing or winter walking.
• Included is Tom Rutlin’s 5-star rated Exerstride Method Nordic Walking instructional video (DVD) and printed instruction manual and user guide ($19.95 value if purchased separately).
• Grip socks for added comfort.

The TR3 25th anniversary edition runs $114.95 per pair, including the accessory package. Shipping is free. Order online.

The two-hour introductory program begins at 10 a.m. on the following Saturdays: June 22, June 29, July 13, August 3, August 18, August 31 and September 14. Those who have completed the Discover Nordic Walking program can “graduate” to the  Discover Alpine Nordic Walking program, a 2½-hour program, still described as “novice” but on upper-mountain trails. It takes place at 1 p.m. on the following Saturdays: July 13,  August 3,   August 31, plus Sunday, August 18. If you’ve had a bit of Nordic Walking experience, you might ask whether you can participate without the intro session.

Each session costs CDN$39 for  instruction and interpretive guided program, plus use of Keenfit Nordic Walking poles and, for the Alpine option, one uphill ride on the Sunburst chairlift.

Book through the Sun Peaks Adventure Centre located in the Village Day Lodge or call 250-578-5542.

The San Antonio River through the heart of the city long ago was channeled and is no longer truly natural, but the pay-off is the River Walk, a lively recreation and entertainment area. To attract visitors and as a local asset as well, architect Robert H. H. Hugman developed River Walk for  a 21-block section, completed in March of 1941, that transformed downtown through beautification, preservation and flood control. Further revitalization took place in advance of Hemisfair ‘68, the world’s fair to celebrate San Antonio’s 250^th anniversary.

Today,  restaurants and hotels line the walkway below street level. From late morning till late at night, it is a popular place for dining, partying, strolling and people-watching.  Early in the morning, it is also a wonderful place for joggers and walkers, with or without poles.

A quiet time and place on the River Walk.

As the River Walk is growing, less congested extensions suitable for fitness walking, with or without poles are being developed — and these also show greater 21st century regard for the natural environment and creativity. In the mid- 2000s, city leaders dreamed of expanding the River Walk to ultimately span 15 miles. The 1.33 mile Museum Reach north of downtown completed in 2009 features visual and aural works of art, terraces landscaped with native plants and pedestrian access to the San Antonio Museum of Art, and the historic Pearl Brewery complex. River taxis pass through a lock-and-dam system to transport visitors to and from the original River Walk area.

To the south, the one-mile Eagleland section incorporates ecosystem restoration, a walking path and hiking and biking trails. The Mission Reach section, opening in phases with completion slated for later this year, extends eight miles to Mission Espada. Key to this segment is restoration of the river and its banks for aquatic life and wildlife, along with construction of 15 miles of recreational trails, picnic and seating areas, pedestrian bridges, pavilions and portals to four Spanish colonial missions—Concepción, San José, San Juan and Espada.

I just recently spent a long weekend in San Antonio, but with a full schedule, there was not enough time to put in any mileage on this beguiling walkway. Next visit.

The American Heart Association promotes the first Wednesday in April as National Walking Day. The goal is to get as many people as possible to commit to walking for at least 30 minutes a day. Many of us already put in more time on  foot and with poles, but that that is the minimum that reduces health risks, according to the AHA.

Some communities, senior centers, rec districts and even companies organize National Walking Day activities for Wednesday, April 3 this year. The AHA offers a National Walking Day Toolkit for individuals and organizations. The US Surgeon General’s Call to Action on Walking solicits comments in the Federal Register on what the Call to Action should be to promote walking for health, wellness and fitness.

Dave “Bigfoot” Felkley at the top of a little ridge above Caribou.

After too many winter months off from snowshoeing due to chronic back pain and surgery, I was finally back on snowshoes this week. I couldn’t have a better companion than Dave “Bigfoot” Felkley for the late-season excursion to the Caribou, an old silver mining ghost town at 10,000 feet west of Nederland, which in turn is west of Boulder. The most obvious structure is the ruin of a stone building, but a few collapsed wooden buildings are scattered around too — not all visible under the snow.

Bigfoot was a long-time mountain runner and cross-country ski racer who took up snowshoeing as a way to keep fit in winter without the constraints of skis. He loves to get off trail and explore forests, clearings and yes, old mining districts in the nearby high country. He operated Bigfoot Snowshoe Tours for a time, but now volunteers to lead seniors, families and friends around the snowy landscape he knows so well.

We drove up to the Caribou trailhead that, in addition to trails, provides instant access to little hills and little valleys, that having been an active mining area might be mine tailings or excavation sites. On the map, the old Caribou Mining District is a patchwork of public and private land. In reality, there are no private property signs around, so recreationists can go pretty much anywhere, but there are potential hazards.

Bigfoot loping up a snow-covered slope with a wind-deposited cornice at the top.

Bigfoot is intimately familiar with every square foot, so he would warn that what looked like a pristine little snowy mountain meadow potentially wasn’t safe. A mine shaft was once there, he told me, and while authorities had dropped fill into it, the fill itself had, in the past, settled and might have settled again and would not hold our weight if we crossed it.

Remnants of the Aquarius Mine, reopened in 1969 but now dormant again.

The couple of hours of snowshoeing at Caribou and hearing Bigfoot’s stories of this old mining district that is practically in his backyard was tonic. It was the first time in way more than a year that I had snowshoes on my feet and backcountry poles in my hands, and the first time since last summer that I had a pack on my back and was at elevation (that is, more than 4,000 feet higher than Boulder). It felt great!

Click here to vote. You may vote once in each 24-hour period untl the polling ends on March 19. Winners are to be announced on March 27.  The top vote-getting pole will most likely be entitled to put a boasting icon on its website.

I haven’t posted anything on this blog for months and months. Reason #1:  I had been suffering from excruciating and ever worsening pain from back issues for months, and sitting at the computer made it worse. Reason #2: Nordic Walking appears stuck, still with virtually no cooperation or joint promotion among training organizations or pole-makers to grow the sport. It remains stuck with small isolated islands of activity and local growth scattered in the US and most of the promoters jealously guarding their small pieces of Nordic Walking turf.

Surgery Story

Throughout my ever-increasing pain (until the last couple of weeks before my January 29 surgery), I still managed to Nordic Walk almost every day, do a TV program called “Classical Stretch” and take a weekly Pilates class. Because I remained relatively fit till the end, my surgeon agreed to try minimally invasive micro-decompression surgery rather than a fusion. Walking was the recommended rehab activity, and less than 24 hours after the outpatient procedure, I went on a 2/3-mile walk around nearby park. From the next day on, I have walked between 2 and 3½ miles every day, and I have been uncharacteristically conscientious about physical therapy. I have been pain-free since the day after surgery, and now, of course, I wonder why I did so much for so long to avoid surgery. I hope that in some way, by reviving this blog, I can encourage other people to Nordic Walk to get in shape, get in better shape, lose a few pounds and get outdoors in the fresh air.

Attrition in the Nordic Walking Community

A number of Nordic Walking pole manufacturers that entered the American market have withdrawn or stopped producing specialty products entirely, and some people who were active no longer are so. It came as a sad surprise when I learned that Suzanne Nottingham, a committed and energetic fitness pro and author of a technique book called Nordic Walking for Total Fitness, had thrown in the towel and folded her Nordic Walk Now program. Suzanne and I were on the same page about the necessity for all players to work together if fitness walking with poles is ever to grow in this country. Or maybe all it would take is for Michelle Obama to beging using poles for a walking workout.

I’m again trying my part. Please leave comments to my upcoming posts, recommend this blog as a resource and keep on walking.

Paul Derda Center

Broomfield, Colorado’s exemplary Paul Derda Recreation Center is starting Nordic Walking classes on Thursday, May 3.  I haven’t been able to find any info about the classes on-line, and I haven’t had a chance to phone either. I don’t know who is teaching them either. But the Daily Camera did indicate that the classes start at 8:30 a.m. and cost $32-$48 for an unspecified number of sessions. Those rates might be resident/non-resident fees or depend on whether or not poles are included. The rec center is at 13201 Lowell Boulevard, Broomfield. For more information or to register, call 303-460-6900.