Restless

 Another week has passed. I am still recovering from the prior weeks mishaps, Still a few bruises but they are slowly fading. My toe is still quite painful, but the swelling and bruising has diminished in the past twenty-four hours. I beginning to think I did probably incur a slight fracture. I have a few pairs of shoes that are a bit too painful to wear, so I am limiting myself to one of three pairs, two of which are boots. Not great when we are getting some very warm days. I haven't let the injuries slow me down much. I went to Mother Neff this past Sunday. The weather was perfection. I hiked 2.4 miles. Spring is getting so close. I expect I'll see wildflowers blooming in the next few weeks. 

My workouts have been going well. I did take Monday and today off, just to give the body a bit more rest and time to heal. This morning was also quite chilly in the house which makes it difficult to get motivated. 

The weekend ahead will be busy as I will be assembling and planting two new raised vegetable gardens. I look forward to getting my hands dirty and getting started on my spring planting. It is still a bit early for tomatoes, but with freezing temperatures not showing up in the ten-day forecast I should be able to get most everything else in the ground.   I also plan on my usual Sunday morning hike to Mother Neff. I really look forward to going there this time of year as it changes from week to week.  I should start getting some pretty pictures in the next few weeks. 

The Spring-like weather has me feeling restless. I'm not sure what it is I am searching for. I am a bit burned -out at work. I am so ready for a vacation, but I don't think the weather will cooperate until April for a trip to Cloudcroft, New Mexico. They just had another snowfall overnight. I need the snow to melt and for it to stay dry for at least ten days so the trails will be passable. I hate hiking in the mud, but if I have to wait until late April to get away I might go nuts before then. I do have a few three day weekends coming up. Good Friday at the end of March, and the April 8 is the Solar Eclipse and I am taking off for it as my house is ground zero - dead center in the path. I have my eclipse glasses ready and a solar camera filter for pictures. Praying for clear skies that day. 

The Spring trekking season is starting to get under-way in Nepal. Social-media posts are picking back up. It is great for motivation to see all the photos and stories from everyone trekking to EBC. I so want to go! 

I want to go!

                            Mother Neff  -  Washpond Trail 2/25/24

Stumbled...

 I feel old. 

I am doubting myself once again.

I am bruised and battered.

This past Sunday as planned my daughter and I headed off to Colorado Bend State Park to hike to Gorman Falls and then do the Tie Slide Trail with the River Overlook. These trails were rated as easy. They were not. While there is little change in elevation the trails were very rocky and uneven. I had quite a few stumbles along the way. The last part of the trail down to the falls is steep. I knew that it was and that the rocks are worn smooth and can be slick even when dry. They have a cable to hold on and I also used my hiking pole. I thought I was being cautious and careful on the descent, but I still slid and landed on my bum. That part wasn't too bad, but my arm that was grasping the cable got caught up in it and it dug into my upper arm and has left a large dark bruise. It was painful. Later on that evening I began to feel the effects from the fall on the rest of my body. Oh and I still ache three days later. 

The hike other than that was nice. The weather was perfection and the distance of about five miles was a good workout. I have to say though that I probably won't return to that park. 

So it wasn't enough that I was sore and bruised from the hike. On Monday morning I accidently knocked an antique cast iron Iron ( was my grandmother's) off the shelf and it dropped five feet onto my foot. the edge of it landed right on the joint of my second toe. I don't think the toe was broken but it is swollen and very discolored. It is also very painful and I now walk with a limp. I am not able to do my morning workouts. I am miserable and quite sad. I am really starting to doubt my ability in getting fit enough to do the treks I want to do. But I am not giving up yet. I will rest my body and give it time to heal. I will then pick myself back up and head back out on the trails. This is just a step back temporarily. 

So here are a few pictures from the hike. 

                        

                                                        This is like the one that fell on my toe, OUCH!!

Weather Roller Coaster

 The forecasts have been crazy lately. Rainy, then cold and windy, then  warm and dry. We can have all four seasons in just a few days. Today is pleasantly warm but cloudy, the same for most of tomorrow until late afternoon when the wind will shift to the north and the temperatures will drop over 20 degrees (Fahrenheit). The weekend is supposed to be much cooler but dry... the key word here is DRY! So that means Colorado Bend State Park on Sunday for a 4-5 mile hike. My daughter is joining me so it should be a fun adventuresome day. I have a new backpack (Ospry Cirrus 24 ltr.) that I will be trying out. It is larger and sturdier than the cheap day pack I have been using. I got it because I feel it about the largest I can comfortably carry when full. I will have to figure out how to make it work for my longer treks. It will only ever be a day pack and I will need to utilize a porter for the multiday adventures. I am just so excited to get back out on the trails this weekend. We are planning on doing several trails at the park including Gorman Falls. The falls should be flowing really well now since we have been getting regular rainfall. 

My workouts have been holding steady. I have a few days that I was able to increase the stair-stepper workout substantially. This morning I didn't do so well as my allergies are taking a toll on my breathing. Yoga is going well and I have been able to be more meditative while doing it. So much of hiking challenging trails is mental attitude. I have been focusing on being present in the moment and not focusing on what lies ahead. 

So here's to sunny skies and cool temperatures this weekend, and of course a successful hike!

Re-posting this for Inspiration

 

The life I'd thought I'd live...

 Life has been strange lately. Friends and co-workers retiring, people my age passing away. My boss at work has had marital issues for several years and is now facing the realization that her marriage is over and that the life she thought she would have is not the life she will have. I think that is probably the most difficult aspect of a divorce. I have been down that road twice. 

Earlier this week I just had the oddest feeling wash over me. I was at home just doing a few minor chores when I felt like I was living someone else's life. I felt like I just didn't belong where I was. It was strange as I have lived in my house for over twenty years. I love my house, it is my home, my comfort and shelter from the world. I have been divorced for over four years and have been happy for most of that time. When I was facing the divorce I did struggle with the knowledge that the life I thought I would live with him until one of us was in the grave was not the life I would live. I would have to work more years than I had planned. I would be solely responsible for my life, finances and life plans. Just a few years after we divorced he died suddenly and then I was also now the only parent of my two youngest. they were fortunately adults, but they have always confided and sought advice from us. My life was so different from what I had envisioned.  

So why did I feel like a stranger in my own body? 

Prior to year ago I had never considered going to Peru or Nepal. I never went on hikes over a mile or two and never went hiking alone. My only goal was to get to retirement, maybe travel a bit (had always planned on seeing more of Europe) and then spend time with those dreamed of future grandkids. My goals are completely different now. I have stepped outside the box and my own comfort zone. I regularly challenge myself to see what I can accomplish and also do to inspire others. I have become independent. I have become stronger. I have become happier. 

Maybe this isn't the life I thought I'd live, but is the one I am meant to live. 

mid-week meanderings

 The weather has really been spoiling my hiking plans lately. Two weekends in a row that I haven't been able to get out. Rain is forecast again this weekend. I really should go get a pass for the fitness center, they have punch-card pass 10 visits for $30, that's a discount off the daily rate of $5 per visit and would be cheaper than a monthly membership of $33. The punch card for now is my best option as I would only use it when the weather is too bad to go hiking.  If I could get motivated to go after work, the monthly membership might be worth it, but at this time I just don't think I would go. 

I did get to thinking this week about my plans to do Machu Picchu before I retire. I'm thinking that since I don't get to work out daily it might be a bit much to take on at this time and I should wait until after I retire so I can work out daily before I attempt it. But of course if I put it off by 6 months, I would probably need to delay EBC by that length of time too. Luckily I don't need to make a decision anytime soon and can see how my hiking goes in Cloudcroft this Spring and Colorado this Autumn, I did surprise myself on my birthday hikes by doing better than expected. So I'll just see how things go. 

My daily morning workouts have been really good this week and I have not had any knee pain. Could it be the worst is behind me??? Maybe the rest from hiking the past two weeks helped. 

So this week is half over and Superbowl weekend is nearly here! With the game on Sunday it falls in my  "meat free" week so I'm thinking vegetarian nachos and a ice cold Guinness for the game. I will make an exception and have cheese on my nachos, but I usually try to eat a strictly plant-based diet every other week. The opposite weeks I will have fish once, and another meat once and then mostly meat free the rest of the meals. I might have a soup with a meat broth or eat leftovers from the meat meal. But I do keep my meat portions small. I have also started paying more attention to the source of the food I eat. I think that is as important as what I eat. I need to get my garden planned pretty soon and maybe try growing more than tomatoes and peppers. I do like homegrown tomatoes though and peppers grow very well in our climate here. But I need a variety of veggies.  I guess I need to have a think!

Hoping for a rain free weekend next week. My daughter wants to join me on a day hike back to Colorado Bend State Park - wish us luck!

Addicted to Hiking

 There are times when I just feel the need to put my thoughts into words. I guess it is therapeutic to release it into the world.  I'm not really sure right now where this post is going. It has just been a odd week and it has left me feeling restless. I am frustrated because today feels like Friday, but it is only Thursday. I don't want to work another day. I am done. One more day this week, and then next week and then 450 more working days ( give or take a few depending on sick days and vacation days) until I retire. oh that sounds awful. I prefer 1 year 11 months 8 days until I walk out of this place forever. 

This past week  I had two friends retire, and a third will be working her last day next week. I also heard that a former classmate passed away suddenly, she died in her sleep. No apparent reason why she died, she just did. I am feeling old and that time is slipping away. Why am I sitting in a stuffy office day after day. Oh yeah, I know why... full retirement age is 67. I need to reach that so I can maximize my retirement income. I will need every dollar to get by. I am single. I have been for just over four years now. I don't want my kids to have to look after me. I am too independent. It sucks sometimes being single. It is nice to have someone to share the joys and burdens of life with, but yet relationships tend to come with their own hardships and "baggage". At the end of the day I would prefer my independence. This is the life I chose. I could no longer remain in the toxic marriage I was in. It was slowly destroying me. I am so much stronger and happier since I made the decision to end it. I would've been better prepared financially for retirement as I was receiving alimony for the first 6 years, well that didn't last as he passed away only two years after we split. a promotion and pay raise at work solved that before it became an issue  

I am good... usually... most days. 

My biggest struggle with getting up and going to work is that I would really much rather be out hiking. I am surprised how addictive it is. I find I just want to be out on the trails... any trail. I have lost interest in gardening, diy, and relaxing (lol)  as I just want to either get out and hike or be planning my next big hike. It's not enough that I concentrate on my next trip to Cloudcroft N.M., now I look at Colorado for the Autumn, Big Bend National Park for next Winter and Machu Picchu for Autumn of 2025. Oh and lets not forget Nepal and EBC in 2026. Where else can I possibly venture? I have a whole bucket list of National Parks and sites to see that will keep me going until I am scattered to the universe. Do others get addicted to hiking? I think they must when I see how crowded the popular trails can get. It is a good addiction to have.