Hiking Sequel.

Went hiking again. Same trail as last time, but we did it in the other direction, since it loops. Much easier than last time. I think the climb was less steep, but it was also a comfort to have a sense of the distance and how long that takes us to hoof. I carried a lighter load and I'm sure that helped.

I saw a woman coming up the hill the direction we hiked last time. She was obviously laboring. She asked me which direction to go at the fork. Oh, make a left for sure. I also noted that if she tries again another day, to try taking it the other direction as it's less of a climb. She seemed relieved. Aipohaku thought it was very supportive of me to which I replied, "I recognized that look of desperate pain in her face. I remembered how that felt." 

A couple days later, I still felt it in my legs. A neighbor noticed and took pity on me. "Oh I hike that trail every Sunday" she said to me very cheerfully. You what now? Every week? The woman is a mother of three and in her late 40s, possibly early 50s. I'm impressed. She's completely fit. She and her sister head out every week, no exceptions. She told me of a couple other places to try when that trail "gets boring." Oh my god. But that's the thing, every skill level can do this. The hardest part is getting off the couch.