Spring Forward to Spring!

I've been wanting to hike more, so I decided to set myself a mini goal of 12 miles each week this spring.  I started it on Sunday the 12th because that's close enough to spring for me.  I really just need the later sunlight to get me going.  Monday, Karen and I walked 12 miles on the Richard Martin Trail.  Done!  hahaha

We walked it fast-3 hours and 31 minutes.  I have done it in 3, but that's hard.  This time we were both REALLY worn out by the hike.  I came home with a knot in my calf and she had aching hips.  I told the kids I was skipping the rest of my 40's and going straight to 70.  They started calling me Memom and Mommaw.

Tuesday I tried walking off that sore calf while Ben was at music and put in nearly 3 miles on the bike trails at the lake.  They are surprisingly steep trails and it was a good workout on such a COLD day.

I tried a new thing with the bike trail hike.  I put earplugs between my toes.  And I wore shoes, not sandals (because it was COLD). I was hoping that by keeping those bones away from one another, the nerve would not be pinched and my toes would not go numb.  It worked fairly well.  Even when it did start going numb, it wasn't AS numb and it actually faded within a couple of hours.  Not so lucky with that calf knot. I think I can modify the earplug idea and have it work, which would change EVERYTHING about my hikes.  The Oboz worked okay during off-trail hiking, but my toes were burning by the time I got to the car because of the flat road walk at the end the one time I tried them hiking.  The next time I put them on, my toes were numb before I left the house. :/  (Update, it has not worked)

Wednesday, the calf was mostly back to normal and I ended up heading to swim after lunch with Matt and forgot my swimsuit, though I did bring two towels (one with a sock stuck to it), which is something I guess.  I went to the new library instead, then got drawing supplies.  I walked a couple miles on the greenway, but it was REALLY windy and I didn't enjoy it much.  My ears hate wind.

Thursday, I planned a big hike.  Ben and Chan were with friends and I had the whole day open.  It was warm and sunny and perfect.  Then I woke up hours later than I have slept in MONTHS (9!).  I felt both really groggy and wonderfully rested.  Jake was up minutes later and chatty like a magpie.  He sat on my bed and talked for nearly 2 hours.  Hiking plans flew out the window as we talked and talked and talked.  He got a promotion at work and a very nice raise!  He told me about a friend who is homeless and we started looking for information to get him sorted and sent him all we found and offered a shower and laundry if he needed it.  Another friend, a VERY sweet kid who has been over here dozens of times, lost his Nana unexpectedly.  We talked about that a while, too.

After he left for work, I laid in outside the sun with bare legs (sun on my long bones!) until Matt came home and we walked 3 miles, so it wasn't a totally lazy day.  In between, I set up a desk with drawing stuff and worked on learning how to draw wildflowers.  I'm rubbish at drawing, but that just means there's room for improvement.

2/52 Richard Martin North End 12m

It's 11.88 miles, but I figure walking around the Elkmont downtown area and climbing around on the caboose, getting to and from the car, and the Waffle House afterward all added to .12 tenths of a mile.  So I am taking all 12.

4.2 hours of moving time.

We picked up 16 geocaches along the trail, which is the real reason I look like I have been badly surprised in the 'end' shot of me.  Sawbriers are a bitch!

we've always believed there was a magical tree in the rainforest with powers...

This was a grapefruit and ginger drink.

I don't know WHY the blurb caught me off like it did, but I found it so absurdly hilarious that I thought Matt was going to bounce the empty can off my head.  I had a dry blood orange soda, which had zero magical rainforest powers.

My favorite mile on the way back, even if it is STILL going uphill.  The 6 mile path is downhill for 4 miles going into TN, but coming back, it's a steady incline for FOUR SOLID MILES with the occasional steeper slope.

Richard Martin North End

I had decided to walk 15 miles a week to get my stamina back up.  By Friday night, I had only walked 6 miles, so we decided to get in some walking Saturday during a break in the rain.

Richard Martin came to mind as a good place to walk without having to deal with much mud.  I wanted to do the north end, I think it's prettier.  Plus there's a LONG hill, a couple of miles of steady climbing.  We checked and Belle Chevre had a new groupon, so we snagged that-$15 for $30 of anything at the cheese shop!  3 sandwiches and 3 drinks are $28. :)

Nia went with us, she loves hiking because she gets Doggie Adventure Foods and she gets to swim,

in Prospect, TN

Cranesbill Geranium

Butterweed

Prolific may apples!

fringed phacelia

buckeye

daisy fleabane

waxy buttercup

small leafy beastie

May apple by the zillion along the walk.
I thought the deer would have eaten them by now!

5 miles in, doing great!

Nemophila aphylla
Baby Blue eyes

Violets!

Butterweed lined the ditches.

Midway at Belle Chevre.
Chan and I had the 5 cheese grilled cheese (it's so much more than just cheese!)

Nia got a cheesecake sample AND about half of my honey fig gelato.

Not sure what it is about the Athens area and Sundrop, but my Athens cousin who moved to Savannah would buy 3 cases every time she came back to visit.  Then they got it in Georgia and she had a come apart, she was so excited it was all she posted about for a week.

5 cheese grilled cheese.  YEAH
I know you can drive right up and eat-but it's TOTALLY worth the walk from either end.

Not REALLY gelato-no eggs.
Also, see how small that container is?  $12 for 3!  They were not going to tell me, hahaha!
I will admit, I thought a buck each would be about right, but $3.75-ack!
Just get you some Bluebell on the way home.

Fleabane en masse
Fleabane does not repel fleas.

The only mud on the WHOLE trail.
Did I say mud? I meant jet coolant.

It's hard being so short!  She walked 10 steps to our one!

 Muddy is the best!

Green on green on green

Taking a break from squirrel watching.
She could see them well down the trail, would take off and miss where they went, over and over.
We decided she's a sight hound, she can't seem to smell at all.  Which would explain a few things about her.

Squaw root

Dogwood

A mile from the end-looking damp but determined!

I did it!!

Somewhat swollen ankle

Planning the next time...14 miles on level ground-what can I do on a real trail?