Walking for a cause

Globe correspondent Ethan Gilsdorf is walking from Massachusetts General Hospital to Lee, N.H., Monday through Wednesday in memory of his mother and to raise money for the Brain Aneurysm Foundation. He sent this last night.

Of course, it had to snow and sleet and freezing rain the weekend before my walk. So be it.

Today I trekked from Davis Square to Harvard and bought gaiters at EMS. I packed and repacked my gear. I have my Cliff bars and my 17 layers of clothing. And I've received my "Good luck" calls from family and friends. So, yes, I'm still heading out at 7 a.m. from Mass General Hospital on this memorial pilgrimage. My route first takes me to my mother's old apartment in Cambridge. Then I head through Somerville, Medford and up through the Middlesex Fells to Stoneham, Reading and North Reading. I hope to make 20-22 miles the
first day.

For inspiration, I picked up a copy of German filmmaker Werner Herzog's diary/memoir "Of Walking in Ice: Munich - Paris 23 November - 14 December 1974," about a walking trip he undertook to visit a sick friend -- his quite a bit longer than mine. I feel Herzog and I, we are kindred, crazed spirits. When my walking feet are (hopefully) dry, I'll remember he
made his trek in the age before Gortex and wicking fabrics. And I'll try to remember I'm not a crazy person when I wake at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow.