I know it hasn't been all that easy to follow my blog lately since there hasn't been much of anything here to follow...
Here's the reason why:
That ridge across the valley is Garland Ranch regional park. It is a day hiker's wonderland of about 50 miles of well groomed trails, what you can see above is less than half the park. Another big chunk of the park can be seen in the photo below.
There are trails to suit just about any hiker of any fitness ability and since the last half of February I've hiked nearly all of them, some of them many times, and there's just a few trails in the farthest reaches of the park that I haven't trod yet, so far. My pedometer says that I've hiked 701,430 steps in the last 11 weeks. That translates to approximately 1,578,218 feet or about 300 miles (about 480 kilometers). Early on I was hiking 2 days a week, then moved up to 3 or 4 days a week, had one 6 hike week, and now I've settled into a 5 hikes per week routine, but lately no hike has been complete without doing the 1600 foot climb to the highest point on one of the ridges (sometimes twice in one hike). All this hiking eats up time, 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours per hike, or longer on the weekend hikes I take with my husband. This is time that I used to spend writing and reading blogs, and getting things like housework and gardening done.
Why all this fanatical, time consuming, blog diverting, hiking?
Here's why:
We have permits to climb to the top of Half Dome in June and I will make it. It's a 14 to 16 mile hike with 5,000 feet of elevation gain to get to the 8,800 foot peak. When we finalized our plans for this hike back in February I found myself to be horribly out of shape and I knew that there was NO WAY that I could even attempt this hike. So, I'm in training. Lucky for me my husband is something of a fitness buff and he loves that I'm spending all this time getting in shape and doesn't care if things have gotten rather untidy around here lately.
But, yesterday I managed to get out into the garden with the camera and took a bunch of photos so I'm going to try to put together a few short posts in the coming days.
Now, the trails beckon....
Just reading your post makes me feel tired, but the views are amazing and it will be a great achievement to climb to the peak. Well done, getting so fit!
ReplyDeleteGood luck! I climbed Half Dome a couple of years ago and it was an awesome experience! Of course I was totally sore the following day- but it was still worth it! FYI- bring a water filter with you and fill up at the Merced River on your way up and on your way back, pack a small first aid kit, and bring your own gloves for the cables. We didn't bring our own gloves and it was very slippery using the pile of mismatched ones at the base of the cables. Getting to the top was one of my greatest achievements- I wanted to stop several times but I am SOOOOO glad I never did!
ReplyDeleteWow Michelle, well done to you! The garden and the housework will still be there, but the permit to climb that peak won't be, so go for it and good luck!
ReplyDeleteGood for you! Who could resist wanting to climb that mountain!
ReplyDeleteGo go go Michelle, you can do it and have fun.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun. We were in Yosemite a few years ago, but never climbed the dome. This year we are going to the Olympic Peninsula. I am horribly out of shape. I really need to start hiking. I got out to hike a couple of weeks ago, but with the major landscape planting going on my weekends are tied up.
ReplyDeleteThat's sooooo awesome Michelle! Best of luck on your journey. Remember to take pictures for all of us to see!
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