Sunday, August 6, 2006

Vacation with Dad -- Morning Three

Y'know, I'm not real sure about this whole "army lowering recruitment standards" thing.  I mean, I'm 38.  I was on a 4-mile hike with a whole bunch of people who were younger than me and in way better shape.  If I was in a war with them, I couldn't very well stop, put my hands on my knees, breathe heavy, and say, "You go on ahead; I'll catch up later."

(Damn fit people on the hike.  I knew I was in trouble when I heard some people saying they were on this hike as a warm up for a level 4 hike tomorrow.  Dudes, I'm only on this level-2 hike because they don't have any level 1s scheduled.)

I'll concede it was a pretty hike.  Especially when we stopped a bit on the way down to look at the view.  The guide I was walking with (they put one guide in the front and the other in back -- guess which one I was with) suggested we stop for a second and look at the valley.  And I was, like, "Oh, pretty valley."  And it actually took a second for my eyes to really look at it -- and all these cacti just popped out of the landscape -- I mean, I'd known there were tall cacti around; I'd walked right past a few -- but I hadn't entirely focussed on the patterns that they make when you're looking from above.  It was pretty nifty.

Four miles.  One blister.  A cactus needle in my thigh.  Stepped in horse poo.  Clothes covered in sweat.  On the plus side, though, we went around the rattlesnakes. 

No comments: