20: The D (Detroit, for you Westerners)

It's nearly the end of our Spring Break; I'm pleased to report I've managed to keep on the fitness quest track.

Because where we're going, we don't need roads.

This morning I woke up at 2am, got on Facebook when I couldn't get back to sleep, and argued with one of my very first hiking partners, David, on the merits of hiking in Lenawee County.  

The aforementioned cornfield.

I stand corrected. David pointed out Hidden Lake Gardens as a place to hike, and he is correct.

I have clear memories of "hiking" here in my youth.

 It is lovely.

The problems with it, however, were numerous:

1) A thirty minute drive away

2) Mosquitos and ticks and bugs

3) Crazy attack swans

4) $$

5) Poison ivy

6) Mud

7) No vistas

8) No rock piles

9) Humidity

10) Mosquitos 

But, he is correct, there are no cornfields.

Dave and I completed our geology degrees together; he and Brenda were newly married, and I was engaged to my now late husband, the Knight of Physical Therapy.  Seeing as we were infinitely more mature than our fellow college classmates, we hung out in class and in the numerous geology field trips Rock Haines drug us on.  These trips usually involved hiking; Dave was my companion on the trail.

Old Rag Mountain, Virginia, 1992.  I'm in red, Dave isn't present.  Shall we ask why?

David also is essential in correcting my blog spelling, for which I am grateful.

I did fall back to sleep around 5am, and got up at 8am.  The King helpfully fetched me a coffee, while I finished writing an article.  By 9am, we had hit the jacuzzi-a great relief to my sore lower back.

Today has been a day full of the old tweaked back pain; it's truly the first time it's made a full blown appearance, waking me at 2am and nagging me throughout the day.  This is despite swimming ten laps in the pool, followed by an extended time of treading water before lunch.  Additionally, the King confirmed what I had suspected:  my right side is weaker than my left side.

The head injury has nothing to do with my back, but I find it interest in when symptoms from it crop up unexpectedly.  Doing squats in front of the mirror yesterday I could see the imbalance between my left and right sides; a simple squeeze test confirmed the strength difference.  These are both hopefully nothing more than minor unconveniences  in the Quest, but are worth noting.

Pink by Victoria's Secret, if you must know.

Because pain makes people seriously think about quitting.

Having just spent three days in a swimsuit, I'm disliking the old.

Ack!  Muffin top!

But loving how firm my legs and arms have become.

So quitting is not an option, despite the sore back, and these days of struggle will give way to rewards soon enough.

Looking forward to it.

I just like to watch them fly:)

A shout out to the D-missing my Tigers amidst the Cactus League.

18: Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh My!

So, this morning was busy.

If this is black bear scat, what is Becky pointing to?

Today I had to squeeze in a hike between BNI and taking off on a road trip.  Last on the list from the Hike Shack were two Mingus hikes, we choose Ash Canyon as a quicker hike.  

Or so we thought.

We found our way up Mingus, down 413, to 132.  After driving a while without finding the trailhead, we came upon a pond crossing the road.  With no cell signal and only one gun between us, we decided to do a three point and turn around.  On the way back up, we found #530.

We had internet, so a quick forest service search showed we had found Old Dump Trail.  Only .9 miles long, it filled our bill as a quick hike.

The sights we saw

The tales we told.

And then we saw the scat.

A quick text to confirm it refused to go through (what in the world did people do in the woods before cellphones??)

I definitely got in my cardio.

So somehow we ended up on Cleopatra Hill.  

I love my hiking partners.  So willing to ditch a hike and do something else instead :)

Our hike cut short by the fear of bears, I headed with the family to our mini Spring Break.  After a great meal and checking in, the girls and I headed to the spa.

Afterwards we joined the guys at the pool.

I swam for thirty minutes straight, making sure I got my heart rate up.  I jumped in the jacuzzi afterwards.

No pain.  Nothing but gain.

Add swimming to the list of exercise I love (that makes two.  Hiking and swimming.  Yoga is only on the like list, after reading a scary article about it being of the serpent on Facebook.)

The best thing?

No hiking boots.

Looking forward to my day in the sun.  Business plans to write, no distractions except for what drink to pick off the poolside menu. Fitness will make an appearance I'm sure, I find it sneaking in even when I think I'm catching a break.  

Perhaps it's not the devil I once thought it was?