My friend Tom, who calls himself the Incredible Bulk, a name I refuse to use because he is well on his way to shrinking out from under such a name, does frequent evening training hikes. He puts me to shame with his regular training and 70lb weight loss so far.
Since returning from the PCT, I've put almost all my weight back on. At least 20lbs. It has come on strange, too. My thighs seem extra large. I don't like it at all.
I've lost a lot of my fitness from my hike. I'm sure Tom can hike circles around me now. I think I still have the endurance and much of my cardio abilities, but strength is lacking. At least the pain is gone. I think I could do 20 miles a day again right now. I wonder how my sweetly soft feet would hold up. Would they cry out with blisters and hardened shields of dead skin again?
Anyway, feeling terrible about being so sedentary, and looking at the threatening sky and feeling like there should be no excuses, I went for a hike today. Just a short one. I hiked up to the meadow on Rattlesnake trail. I took the trail by the round horse trough instead of the regular route. I'm not sure, but it might be shorter than the regular route. From my front door and back home again it takes 2 hours. So any time I have two hours to spare, I know I can slip in a hike.
It felt nice to be back on the trail. The ground was soft and moist and covered in pastel-colored oak leaves. Some of the trail is burned and I could smell it a little. Most of the trail is fine. The creek is flowing, but not high.
It felt like I was walking at the edge of the world. I could see the ocean, the islands and beyond with a heavy blue-gray sky of undulating storm clouds and a yellow band of sky hinting at golden places far beyond. It was a beautiful day for a hike, and despite carrying my umbrella, it did not rain.
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