I did not sleep in today, even though I didn’t feel like I got a good night’s sleep. Some of my dreams felt very emotional, and I had a hard time getting comfortable after waking up from them.
I got up around six and did my Move U exercises. Then I ate breakfast and dressed in hiking clothes and headed out. With temperatures being higher this past week, I could have hiked Brownlee and probably gotten farther than I had the last two weekends. But I decided to try something new instead.
I drove out to the turn for the Brownlee Campground, and pulled my car to the right where a narrow road runs up. I parked at a wide spot and saw behind me a fenced off burned up stump. When I went over to look at it, I believe I found the historical marker that my parents and I tried to find back in June. It’s a gravesite.
For my hike, I walked up the road. It is quite narrow, and there were a couple trees downed across it. Even if I’d wanted to drive up it, I would have been stopped. But easy enough to navigate around the trees on foot.
The road followed highway 71, just much higher up. I could see the road below and hear cars as they drove by. Before long, I came to a junction. I knew that 71 was to the right, so I took the left and continued up the road, going around a gate that would stop vehicles from processing.
I came across several more downed trees on this stretch of road. Even without the gate, cars would have had to stop and turn back. Most of them I navigated with ease, but one of them almost got me into trouble.
The trunk was so large that on the ground the top was as high as my belly button. I had to climb over it, and I took a bad angle on my first attempt. I lost my balance and found myself swinging backwards, about to either fall on my butt or roll down the embankment.
Instead, my left thigh caught on a small stob sticking out of the tree. I felt it digging in painfully, but I was glad for it anyway. I was able to use it to catch my balance, and if I have a bruise I’ll still be grateful for it. On my next attempt, I used that stob as a step and got myself safely over.
This route did not have nearly as much elevation gain as the Brownlee trail, so I managed two miles in just over 50 minutes. While I took my break, I examined my GPS. According to its map, in about a quarter mile, I’d run into a trail junction that would lead me to a spot on the road just north of the Brownlee Campground. I decided to go and check it out, and if the trail looked to be in decent shape I’d take the road back to complete a loop.
Where the trail met the road, it didn’t seem to be in great shape, but it was clear enough that I gave it a try. Less than a tenth of a mile in, it was clear that the junction was messy to prevent cars from trying to drive on it. This trail used to be a road, and was wide enough in spots to still be one. Though it also had its share of downed trees blocking the way.
I found myself looking down on the Brownlee Campground after about half a mile, and I could hear the creek flowing. There was a small side stream that I had to step across before the trail reached the road. I picked up an empty plastic bottle there. I think next time I’ll bring a trash bag, because I’d passed up some discarded clothing on the route.
Walking on the road was very easy. Downhill for the most part. All I had to do was keep an ear out for traffic. I found myself smiling as I walked. It felt good to figure out a new route. To explore new trails. I want to keep doing that, even though I miss sharing that sense of joyful discovery with Ambrose.
I stopped by the new historical marker. The sign had been moved from where it was in June to a new spot with a special blaze.
I did encounter one truck driving up the road, but they were going nice and slow, so there was no danger. My loop ending up totally just over 4.5 miles, with about 600 feet of elevation gain. A much lower and easier route than the Brownlee trail. If it ever snows, this loop can provide me with a hike that is less likely to be buried. I do hope we get some good snow dumps before summer.
The rest of the day, I devoted to relaxation. Tomorrow is 18 months and I have to do performance evaluation meetings with my team members. I avoided reading any news. Did some reading. Watched a bit of mindless television. Played some games. And prepped next week’s breakfasts. That’s a requirement for Sundays now.
I’ve got a tickle in my throat that I hope won’t develop into full blown illness. I’m just getting into my groove with my daily walks. If it still feels icky in the morning, maybe I’ll do the mile walk that doesn’t include the whole hill, but I want to keep up my walking unless I’m sick enough to miss work.