I let time slip away from me this past month. I'll just use the holidays as an excuse for not posting anything. The reality of it though was there just wasn't anything new to write. Life has become pretty mundane. I even missed a few workouts right before Christmas. I had meant to go, but between baking cookies for gifts and having friends over for dinner I was just too tired to go. I did get back on my little stair stepper a home for brief workouts after my yoga. I had hoped to go hiking on Christmas Eve, but that ended up not happening. I did get to the gym on the 28th. I did 600 steps on the stair master and 50 minutes on the treadmill of which 30 minutes was at the full 15% incline. I am finding it easier to do and am spending longer on that challenge. I hope to get it up to 50 - 60 minutes by Spring. I might even push it to get there before my trip to Big Bend in February.
I celebrated my 66th birthday with my 2nd annual hike up tot he summit of Enchanted Rock. My two youngest went with me. After summiting we had planned a four mile hike there but it was unseasonable hot that day and cut it to a less than 2 mile hike as I easily get overheated when hiking in temps above 75. It was in the mid-80's by 1:00 pm. We instead headed on down to Kerrville for the night and then got an early start on our hike at Lost Maples State park. we arrived there before 8:00 am with the temperature in the mid-30's. For me that is perfect hiking weather. We did a 6 mile loop in just over 2.5 hours. We did stop often for pictures. It was a perfect morning hike and we finished just as the thermometer was hitting 75f. We hiked the West trail this year and I think I prefer it to the East Trail. It was about equally as challenging, but was better marked and had less loose rock on the decent. Weather permitting next year we are planning on spending a full ay there hiking and exploring a bit more of the park.
2025... My last full year working full time. I will only work 5 days in 2026 before I hit my final day, January 9th, 2027. I will soon start saying good-bye to each of the customers that I have worked with on their annual events the past fifteen years. There are some that I will miss and others I will be glad to part ways with. As this year moves forward I will begin to plan my trip to Peru. I will start early preparations for Nepal, but most of the big details will not come until 2026. I also hope to go camping and Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park this Autumn. With retirement also comes filing for Social Security. I am a bit stressed about it, but a recent change in how benefits are calculated will positively impact mu monthly income. That has been a huge weight lifted as I should be able to live a fairly comfortable retirement.
Happy 2026 everyone. I hope it brings you all peace and prosperity.
A few pics of my birthday hikes.
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