Today (I wrote this text on the 15th of January, 2026), I had to order a taxi while rucking in the cold. It happened for the first time.
Why did I order a taxi? Was it because of the cold? It was 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit). Was it because of the weight I carried on my back and shoulders? I had a rucksack weighing 30 kg (66 lbs) – I was returning home from my office job. No. Still, something unusual happened on that day. While walking, it was very slippery. Once I slipped, I felt severe pain in the gastrocnemius muscle (located in the calf). Unfortunately, I knew this pain. I had similar pain in 2011 and 2016 (I think I’ve already mentioned these injuries in my previous posts). After this pain, I had a few months’ break in… walking.
Indeed, today, once I felt the pain, I could not walk.
I knew I had to call for a taxi for the first time since I started exposing my body to cold (Fall/Winter season 2021/2022) and rucking (the middle of August 2024), but it happened due to a gastrocnemius muscle injury. I wrote this text in the evening, while my leg was still hurting. I am afraid I will have to take a longer break from walking and doing street photography. I remember that a few minutes before I got this injury, I was thinking that I was tremendously happy, because there were three days of doing street photography ahead of me.
Now I am afraid I won’t be able to walk.
I know it is not the end of the world. I know that sooner or later I will recover from this injury. Nevertheless, I hope it will happen sooner rather than later. I remember I wrote many times in the past that walking is one of the most underrated activities people can do. Today, I face the upcoming days/weeks/or even months without this tremendous yet simple activity.
