Springtime Hike

Today, on a whim, I decided to go hike the Y. The reasons were: 1) I haven’t really worked out in about 3 months since I have been sick and I needed exercise, 2) It was a beautiful day and I needed to work on my tan anyway, 3) because I do random stuff like that. So, I take my camera backpack, a bottle of water that I then forgot in the car, and a notebook. I got about 1/8th of the way up the mountain when I got bored. To me it’s not hiking unless you have to use your hands. What do you think I did at this point? Yeah, I turned around went back down and took a different “trail” that went up the rocky ridge directly south of the Y ridge. I ended up going up the canyon a bit and then up onto the second from highest outcropping of rock. The “trail”, or what I thought was a trail, disappeared about halfway up, but I was enjoying the hike too much to stop. I ended clambering up a steep slope and scratching the hell out of my legs and arms in the process (um, Capri pants and a tank top aren’t ideal hiking clothes). I saw a bright assortment of ants, spiders, and other creepy crawlers. After scrambling over rocks for awhile, I found a nice flat rock to lay on and catch some rays. It was nice to detach from the world below and get some alone time. On my way back down the mountain I saw two deer and managed to get some pictures. I also saw a hawk, but I was sliding down the face of the mountain at the time so I didn’t get any pictures. All in all, it was a wonderful way to spend a spring afternoon. Next time, though, I’ll bring water and maybe eat something before I go hiking so I don’t feel like passing out by the time I get back. This is the way I wanted to spend my spring: seeking adventure.