barewirewalker: When you said "staggering gait" I thought you were about to say you were able to maintain 4mph for ten hours a day
Now those were the days
Perhaps they were, after a full weekends climbing I was dropped of by some mates, returning from Snowdonia in Llangollen, where I made the mistake of popping into a pub for beer and sandwiches, got into conversation and returned to the A5 to hitch to Shrewsury at chucking out time.
A 30+mile hitch hike. Couldn't get a lift, I had to be back home next morning as I was due to go into hospital for a hernia repair. I remember walking through fields of barley, in the moonlight with a full pack. That was as I took a short cut across fields back to home. Just before dawn.
I don't think they needed much anaesthetic to knock me out for the op. But I am left still wondering how I made that distance in the time.
Reason I could not get a lift, I heard on the news next morning, a dangerous killer had escaped from prison was on the run, had been on the radio all the night before.