At least it's not 105f

 It was a cold weekend here. It was in the teens all day yesterday and is currently just now 20f. An artic front came in on Saturday evening and the temperatures dropped below freezing not long after and have stayed there. Since I knew it would be in the low twenties Sunday morning I went Saturday morning to Mother Neff Park while it was in the upper thirties. I did about the same route I took last weekend with just one change that didn't really affect the distance. I did two miles in about 50 minutes. I enjoyed the hike as the weather was perfect. The cold weather we had on it's own would not normally keep me off the trails, but the wind was blowing  and the danger of falling tree limbs makes me a bit nervous. 

I used my phone to track my distance on the hike, I think I would prefer to get a pedometer but I haven't found one I really like yet. I was looking back at my "steps" history that it recorded and noticed that on December 29th the day I hiked Lost Maples I did 19,289 steps so that was probably around 8 miles that day between the hike at Lost Maples and in Kerrville. That was a big boost to my confidence that I think I am on track to go to Machu Picchu next year. I know I need to do a few consecutive days of eight mile hikes to really be prepared. I am one step closer though.

I will have to make my final decision about Machu Picchu about this time next year. The Inca Trail in September books out at least six months in advance. I am looking at several trekking companies to get the best option. One of the ones I was looking at only does online bookings for 2 or more people. I will contact them via email to see if solo is an option. If they do not, I know that G Adventures does offer single bookings. I am looking at companies that also offer Rainbow Mountain day trips and Cusco and Sacred Valley tours so I can do those for acclimatization prior to starting the four day Inca trail. 

I like having goals that I can achieve sooner than EBC in 2026. It just  feels more attainable. For now though I just need to focus on the goals that are closer. This year - weekend hikes, Cloudcroft N.M. and Colorado. Exciting times!