Time flies but recovery doesn't...

 Slowly recovering... my knee still has twinges of pain so I am still taking it a bit easy. I haven't resumed my workouts on the stair-stepper and I am only restarting my yoga workouts this week. I did go on a short hike of only about 1.5 miles this past weekend. My sons dog was visiting  so I had him along which made for a faster paced hike. I wore my knee brace ( well I wear it most of the time honestly). I had very little pain during my hike and only a few twinges since. I was hoping to see some Autumn color, but only found a few Sumacs that were full of red leaves. The weather just wasn't great for fall color this year and most of the leaves are dropping before they change. 

So with my downtime I browsed a bit online looking at some less strenuous hiking trips. Something a bit shorter than the 12 day EBC trek. I'm thinking of something I could do that would prepare me mentally and physically for EBC, also to prove to myself that I would be able to accomplish it. I had placed Machu Picchu/Inca Trail on my bucket list to do sometime after EBC, but now I am thinking it might be better to do it first. I've still a bit of research to do, but I am definitely thinking about it. Anyone out there have any input on the difficulty of this trek? The altitude is far less demanding, I'm just concerned about how steep the inclines are on the trails. 

Well hopefully my next update will have me back in better shape. Old age sure slows down recovery. 

Just a stumble...

 My knee pain worsened overnight. I woke up feeling very discouraged. The cause is just an irritated tendon and I will just need to rest it for a few days or until it has a chance to heal. It gives me a reason to be concerned that maybe I am just taking more on than I can realistically achieve. I just let my old body get too out of shape so now it is rebelling. I lay in bed for a bit thinking about how much I would enjoy just traveling across the U.S. in a little teardrop camper with my dogs. There is a lot to see in the U.S. and some beauty just as stunning as Nepal. But then I got on social media and on the Hiking Nepal group someone posted this photo..

 So I'll rest my knee until it heals and then I'll get back to my workouts and hiking and keep chasing my dreams.

Hiking at Colorado Bend

 

What a wonderful weekend I just had. I had three days off work due to the Veteran's Day Holiday. I did my usual Saturday shopping and chores on Friday, and I went to Colorado Bend State Park on Saturday and went hiking. I arrived at the park just a bit after 9:00 am. The weather was perfect for hiking as it was a cool 54f and cloudy when I arrived. It only got to 64f while I was there. It was quiet on the trail, I only met four other hikers on it. The only disappointment was the hike I had planned was to be a loop, but the trail ended at the river by Gorman Cave, the river trail was not accessible beyond there. I was not happy about that as there was no mention of this online, on the maps or at the trailhead. So my loop became and out and back hike and was a bit shorter than I had planned. It was still a nice three hour hike (at a leisurely pace). After the hike I drove deeper into the park to check out the camping area. The tent sites are way too close together for my comfort so I don't think I will plan on camping there. I will return though to do a few more hikes as they have some longer challenging trails that I am very interested in getting on. 

So the trail I did on Saturday was the Dogleg Canyon trail. It is a bit rocky in areas and has a few changes in elevation. There are some scenic areas but mostly rocks and Mountain Junipers. I did see an armadillo on my return. I easily completed the hike and did not struggle at all on the hills. I am really starting to notice the improvement in my fitness level. My legs held up really well and I only started to tire towards the end of the hike. I do see that I will need to work on my cardio before I tackle a full days hike. I had expected to be sore and tired on Sunday, but I felt great and did my full morning workout with 200/400 steps on the stair stepper. I did have a little bit of knee pain yesterday and it was slightly worse this morning. I will wear my knee brace for a few days and I should be fine. 

Colorado Bend is a nice size park. It has a variety of terrain, with areas along the Colorado River, Spicewood Springs and several canyons. Trails are rated from easy to difficult so there is something for everyone. 

True Joy

 I'm wandering a bit off into my personal life today. I just want to reflect on my mental state. As I drove into work this morning ( I have a forty minute drive so a lot of time to think) I was realizing that I am happy. Not just a I'm happy in this moment because something good happened. It is an overall feeling of happiness. This kind of contentment and joy has been a rarity in my life. It's not to say I have been a sad person - I'm generally not. It's just that distractions kept me from being filled with the kind of joy I now feel. Why do I feel this way and how do I hold on to it? Here are my thoughts - in a list.

1. I am only responsible for myself and my own emotions. I am not in a relationship nor do I have any desire to be in one again. 

2. I have goals to work towards.

3. Each morning I wake up healthy, happy and one day closer to retirement.

4. I eat, sleep, spend money however I want  as I only answer to myself.

5. My house is my home. I love my cozy little cottage. I do not have to share it with anyone. 

6. My workouts make me happy. I feel better and more energetic and the workouts will help me to achieve my goals. 

7. I am happy with myself, I enjoy my own company. 

8. I have time and money to do fun things with my adult kids. 

9. My adult kids are thriving (finally). 

10. I am confident in the decisions I make. 

My life has been filled with ups and downs. So much heartbreak and tragedy. I always tried to find positives to focus on even in the darkest times. There were days though that I did not want to continue living. There were days where it hurt to breathe I was in so much pain from the tragic loss of my eldest son. I had times when I lacked the confidence to get out of a bad relationship because I didn't think I could make it on my own. I was miserable and kept getting my heartbroken repeatedly until I found the strength to say enough is enough. That strength saw me through and I landed on my feet and life is now so much better than I could have ever imagined. 

So as I approach my sixty-fifth birthday, I am facing the fact that I can no longer fool myself that I'm not an old lady. But I do not feel old and I do not want to act old. I do however have to plan ahead for eventually not feeling as young as I would like. Hopefully that will be a long time from now. 

I will live my life in a joyful way. Only I am responsible for my happiness. I choose joy. 

Outside the Box

 So I have passed six months since I created this blog and started my journey to chase my dreams. The only way I can accomplish those dreams is to get in the best physical shape I have ever been in. That is not an easy feat when in your mid-sixties. It is a slow process... baby steps. I am seeing progress, but I still have so far to go. I know I complained about the weather over the summer and how difficult it made it to get outside and be active. The weather has changed and it is pleasant most weekends now so I am getting out and will be challenging myself to longer and harder hikes over the next five to six months. I also know that I will need to join the gym when summer returns to keep progressing. I am thinking about just getting a punch card pass to use over the winter whenever the weather is too inclement to hike. The punch card option is good since I don't need a full time membership. 

While my goal is to travel to Nepal, do some volunteer work and then trek the EBC, I have to be realistic that maybe I am stepping too far outside the box. I do have other dreams and goals of things I wish to see and do that are more realistic and closer to home. These are things I mostly want to do after completing the trip to Nepal, but if I find I just can't do the EBC, then I will chase the dream of traveling throughout the western half of the USA and trying to see as many National Parks as I can and hiking the hikes I can physically handle. The National Parks in the US are pretty amazing. They are varied in their scenery, activities, location and climate. They are crowded. So many of the ones in the Northwestern States are only open for three to five months due to winter weather conditions. Snow on the ground some years until mid- June and winter snowfalls that start in September. The short season makes it difficult to avoid the crowds. I hate crowds. But I am not going to think about that yet. I will focus on what awaits outside the box. 

inspiring goals

The past week was uneventful. How often can I actually say that and mean it? Workouts went well, and I even skipped a few, and it didn't set me back any. I came back and did 200/400 on the stair stepper! 

My Sunday hike to Mother Neff was short as I took my old runt-mutt with me and she didn't do too well. She would get under my feet, stopped way too often to smell things and she was getting quite tired after only thirty minutes of walking. I took an easier route for her, but that left me feeling unchallenged. I do have plans though for this upcoming weekend to take on a more challenging hike both in distance and hills, rocks and terrain. I'll have to watch the weather before I make a final decision on which trail and day I will go. If I like this park I might go camping there for my birthday. It might be nice to just reflect back on my own over my life. Sixty-five, I can no longer pretend I am not old. I still don't feel it, and I don't plan on acting it. If my plan to do the EBC trek comes true I should be on the trail there this time three years from now! What a nice dream/goal to have.