Bankhead Wander

The planned group hike to Big Tree didn't materialize, so we opted to do some exploring instead.
I think we ended up doing just shy of 4 miles, but barely a step of that was flat.

We headed off trail to find a couple of falls using the GPS and map.

We went past a cemetery, down a big hill, up a big hill, down a big hill, up a big hill and then:

Down another big hill! 
Let's see what I think:

yep

The third canyon had a nice stream and I really liked how clear it was and how the rocks were so mossy.
Getting down to the creek, I slipped crossing the top of a cliff and slid and kept sliding and stopped with my feet at the edge of a 30-foot drop.  I was not pleased and my efforts to get away from the edge on the thick bed of leaves was making me slide slowly closer to falling.  I had already decided when I went over to throw my weight to the side in hopes of landing on my arm rather than my legs or butt because I thought if I lived, a broken arm would be easier to recover from.
I managed to flip over and crawl toward a tree uphill, the soil was so thin my poles did nothing to help.
Later, I looked and I had dirt and small pebbles under my fingernails from where I had dug in to slow myself down.  Everything I was wearing was meant to shed water, it was a really bad combo for the deep, damp leaves and I slipped a couple more times, though all that got me was a good bruise.

There was ice! 

A shot under the ice

Trying out a new shoe, I have not been able to hike in anything other than my Chacos for the past year.  I had plantar fasciitis and when that finally cleared up, I then developed metatarsal neuralgia.  Anything I have worn other than Chacos has made my toes go numb to the point that the next day I was having trouble walking at all from the pain.  It feels like when your foot goes to sleep, then the circulation kicks back in and that initial flow of blood-how much that HURTS-but for an entire day.  I could barely move sometimes.
Chacos worked for me, I am unsure how or why, but I never needed anything else and never once had any issues wearing my original pair.  I bought a second pair and they are about 50/50 even though the foot-bed is the same.
I went looking for help and ONE person out there had the same issue and also wore only Chacos and through trial and error found that Oboz worked for her. 
They worked GREAT today until the very end of our hike, we had walked back a couple of miles through the canyons and then crossed the West Fork of the Sipsey and did one last long climb up to a dirt road.  The flat slap of walking tired took a toll and by the time we were at the car a mile later, my feet hurt.
Oboz have a rock hard insole, there's no give inside the shoe.  I think if I get another pair of metatarsal pads, they will be perfect.  The pair I have are in the shoes Chandler took over and she won't give them back...

Chillin my heels in some ice!

More ice, ugh!

The top of the final canyon, Matt is looking for a cache.

Matt finds caveman soap!

He was going to get his head wet and the wind picked up and blew the water over on him.
He screamed and ran for it.

Then got JUST AS WET sticking his head back under the water on purpose.

I flat love the open woods and sloping canyons in Bankhead.  I'm thankful it's so close.

I have not talked about my hair, but I have kept it stained since the Cayman trip and I still love it so much.
I get looks from time to time, but no one has ever even mentioned it-from friends to total strangers, other than Jacki, of course.   I find that to be bemusing.

Look at the pic above again, under my chin are 2 puncture scars and on my jawline is another Y shaped scar.  That's from a dog bite when I was 14.  I used to put stuff on it every day and take skin repairing vitamins, but at some point, it just wasn't a thing anymore.  I can go years and not even think about it. Sometimes I feel it when I am putting on my face stuff at night and try to scrape it off with a fingernail, thinking the hardened skin is dried food.  I don't know what it says about me that I sit in bed with dried food on my face often enough to absentmindedly scrape it off, but there you go.

I'm flawed.
:)

Glorious Rain!

Nothing has happened in days and days, it's been hot and dry and we have had our butts firmly at home.  Jake had friends over Sunday and that was fun, if a little noisy.  They shot fireworks and Kuma laid in front of my box fan and practiced happy thoughts.  On the 4th, Jake and Ben went off to watch the local fireworks with part of the group, oh and they both went to play Pathfinder on Friday. It's been a big weekend for Ben at any rate,  Jake is super social and is often off with friends, but Ben has just started joining in on that and I am SO relieved.  I like to see the kids interacting.

Ben had this idea for a school setup where the students would study on their own most of the time, but twice a month they would all get together (a small group, maybe 20) and discuss what they have been learning.  He thinks summer camp is so popular because it's kids learning and trying things in the woods.  Like a tree school.  I love that thought, that's what 'school' means, in Greek it was skhole and meant 'leisure time'.  It was when people got together and chatted about ideas and things they had learned.

It's rained off and on all day, it's afternoon and still dark and a little cooler out!

Let's see. Due to lack of 2 of the 3 of us having hiking shoes, we did not go off last week as planned.

On Wednesday, Ben and I dropped off Chan in town and then headed to shoe shop IRL as I have sent back ALL the shoes I have bought online.  We went to Cabela's because Ben wanted to try to only make one stop, he HATES trying on shoes.  So, we hooked up with a nice girl who works there and she ran back and forth getting the shoes we picked from the back.  They have a big wall and each shoe has a code, she had a scanner and we'd pick a shoe and she'd get it in our size.  They have very few women's shoes compared to men's and only 2 of those were in my size!

I ended up getting Merrell boots, Ben got a pair of boots and some Keen sandals.  We also got him a pair of zip off pants and a summer hiking shirt that buttons down.  He has about 20 wicking shirts for running, but has recently gotten more into wearing button down shirts instead of tees.  They were both OD green, so he looks like a park ranger, which pleased him greatly.  He ran our trail in his new sandals and was happy with the fit.  Here is a pic of my boot:

Brindle and eggshell.  oooo.

Last Thursday Karen and I walked 8 miles at the Land Trust.  I powered up that hill, I was feeling quite strong and not at all tired at the end of the hike.  I think that short jaunt backpacking built up my legs and I have been doing squats every day to keep them little powerhouses.  It's not muscle I lack, it's cardio.  Climbing hills half kills me because my heart rate gets up.  I am contemplating ways to work on that, we lack the floor space for serious cardio workouts so I am thinking about...running on the treadmill.

I had started running and loved it, then ultimately quit because my knees, ankle and bladder were not having it.  My joints are in great shape these days, nearly 2 years of serious balance and yoga, cutting out all sodas (they inflame cartilage in some people, apparently me because within 3 days of quitting, I had no stiff hips or shoulders) and taking enough tendon supplements to count as a daily snack, I think I can handle the stress.  It's the bladder that will be an issue, though the squats have helped with that, pelvic floor and all.  Ah well, here are a couple of Land Trust pics:

Toll Gate trail is like this the whole way down.  AVOID!  It would not be a bad climb up as it was thankfully not steep, but those shifting rocks, ugh!  Go up this one and down Waterline is my suggestion.  And look for my hat, I dropped it.  :(  

hat

This week, we have tentative lake plans.  Next week, I am hoping to get in some backpacking with the kids.  We have picked a 40 mile trail that stays pretty near water the whole way.  There's a waterfall with a swimming hole on a 2.6 mile spur trail, too.  If we feel like adding 5 miles to the trip, we may just add another day and do that, too.  It's raining like mad in that area this week, so I am hopeful for good water levels.  The water it follows is dammed, so I know that at least will have good flow.  I don't mind the heat so much if I can float around at some point!