A Choice of Weekend Sports

This weekend I have the choice between running, hiking, walking, via ferrata and probably more. Years ago I would have automatically gravitated towards Via Ferrata because that is a sport I really loved. These days I’m not so sure. It’s especially that the VF would take one and a half hours of driving, which isn’t really the issue, but that it starts at around 11:30, which, for me, is late.

Early Starts are Better

I would prefer to start at 0900-1000. Those are the sweet spot. Get up at 6-7, drive for an hour or so, get to the location, do a VF for an hour or two, and by lunch time start to head home.

There is also the dimension that with VFs you get to a certain level of experience where it takes longer to get to and from the VF than it does to do the actual VF. That’s when it might become less rational as a sport.

Options

In theory Saturday morning I could go for a run in Geneva. The issue is that my runs are short-5-8km. Heading to Geneva to run for half an hour to an hour is not the best use of my time. There is also the small matter of a walk the next day.

The walk that does interest me, and that I have considered for a while is from Bière via the Arboretum to Aubonne. I have often been to the arboretum, but I have not often walked from the nearby towns, through the arboretum, to other nearby towns. This would be a first.

The Sunday walk would be from Rivaz to Lutry. It’s just 390 meters of climbing, compared to the 1200m of climbing I do on other hikes. It would also be with a large group.

Plenty of Hikers

I get the impression that there are thousands of hikers per weekend, in Switzerland, if not more. Almost every hiking activity attracts 15-20 or more people that can come. If there was no limit groups of up to seventy would come, at a time. With such a large community of communities of hikers you can always find people to walk with. Last weekend was quiet, but this weekend seems back to normal.

And Finally

I am perfectly happy to walk, hike and cycle alone. If I do group activities it is in the hope of meeting new people that I get along with. It is in the hope that I find a group, like the scuba diving group, or the climbing group, or the via ferrata group, that I enjoyed doing things with, for years, pre-pandemic, pre-broken arm, and pre-deicing job.

Meeting new people is enjoyable. The paradox is that I usually appreciate the group by the end of an activity, rather than during. With the right group I would enjoy a group during an activity. I have, recently, but then the group vanishes for a few weeks.

I should organise activities, and let people find me, rather than the other way around. I know this region well. It would be the logical thing to do.