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Just a journal for my Keto experience and fitness journey. |
| I'm not logging anything yet today, it's not been enough time since my last entry of logging last Saturday; I'll likely get on the scale and do some measurements this coming Saturday. But, I did want to log that my wife and I have been going out walking. Well, hiking! We take the two dogs out to the state park near us (45 minutes away) and do a bit of hiking. The first hike was moderate, about a mile with some challenging hills. It went pretty well, but I sure could tell I was out of shape by the time I got home. We skipped a day to recoup and then tried a different trail, making a couple of miles, a bit more challenging of a trail with more hills and uneven terrain. It went well, and I wasn't as stiff and sore the following day which was today. So, today we decided to drive to the back side of the park and try a trail there. According to the map, we could do a nice hike around a small lake, about two and half miles. This started out fairly easy, but soon we had hills and more difficult trail conditions. We also had a lot of mud since it was in the fifties today. This made hiking even more of a challenge. Since it's still the off season for the parks, they have not been out grooming trails or ensuring trail signs are still up. This resulted in missing one turn on our journey. Instead of the two and half mile loop, we were on a five mile loop and an extremely challenging trail for most of the extra two miles. Another trail marker sign was knocked part way over, so it was difficult to tell which way it was indicating. As a result, we hiked another mile in the wrong direction before we realized it and had to turn back. What was supposed to be an hour to hour and half hike on moderate trails turned into a bit over two and a half hours, half of which was twisting trails up and down some big, steep, hills; some parts where more like a goat trail than a hiking trail. The dogs had fun, but even they were exhausted by the time we returned to our vehicle. Luckily there were a few streams with flowing water for them, as we had not planned this extended hike and only had one bottle of water to share. In crossing one of these streams, I stepped wrong on a slippery rock and twisted my ankle with almost two miles left to hike, so that was kind of a downer. Despite the throbbing ankle, I focused on the beauty we were sounded with and enjoyed the hike. I tied my hiking boot tighter which helped give more support which helped a lot. But while climbing a very steep grade that was very muddy, I was having difficulty because I was favoring my sore ankle, which put more strain on the other leg. This caused an old back injury to flare a bit, and I found myself wondering if I would make it out on my own two feet or if I would have to wait for someone to come rescue me. But, my back held up. It was sore and difficult going, especially the hills, but I made it. Even though I over did it, was not prepared for the problems, and had not brought enough water, I enjoyed the hike. I also feel very accomplished that we overcame the problems and made it through. I doubt we will do any hiking tomorrow; I'll likely need a day to rest up, but we may go for a walk on a paved, and pretty level, walking path just to work off the stiffness and get ready for our next hike. Oh, and I will start bringing my pack with a few provisions, tools, and supplies just in case. "Reading soothes the soul, writing sets it free." T.J. |
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