Perfection.

Today began perfectly.

We got up earlier than usual and were on the mountain by 4:30am. It was a dark hike up the mountain, but we were greeted by an absolutely perfect sunrise at the top. I can't think of a better way to start the day.

It was a fast hike, too. We got to the top in 50 minutes. My legs were feeling it. I had TKD last night, and we did a ton of hip, glutes, and leg work. My muscles were jelly by the time we got to the top.

Today, we're finishing up Rock Camp. It's been a fun week at work. It's been really great to watch the kids learn and improve over the week, and they're so excited for their performance tonight. I am so grateful to have a job that I enjoy.

I'm also hoping to get some writing done this afternoon. I've got several projects going right now, including a new play. On Sunday I get to go see one of my scripts performed as part of Ten Fest, a show made up of ten short plays (10 minutes each). I've been lucky enough to have my scripts chosen for this show several times, but this is the first time in years that I've been able to go see the show. I'm excited. I'm bringing the Bean with me. I think she'll love it.

Hiking and writing. Today is a good day.

Brutal Morning Hike

My legs are officially toast.

Wednesday's leg workout and yesterday's run added up to a very uncomfortable hike this morning. I was up before the sun to hike Haystack. I've hiked it before with Tracy, and I remembered that it was tough. I haven't been doing nearly enough hiking this summer, and combined with the already exhausted legs, I knew I was in for a rough hike.

Haystack is steep. We spent most of the time scrambling up steep, slippery rocks and avoiding (or not) deep, sucking mud puddles. It was challenging but also a lot of fun. It was really nice to have some time with friends and be out in nature, even if it was brutal.

About two-thirds of the way up, my legs started to get really, really tired. They were wobbly, and my pace was definitely slowing down. I felt better when we finally got to the top and had a snack. It was foggy, and we didn't have a view, but it was still great to be at the top.

The thing about Haystack is that going down is a lot harder than going up. All of those slippery rocks that we climbed? Now we got to go down. I spent a lot of time on my backside. It was kind of fun to slide down the rocks, though it ruined my yoga pants. I was prepared for this and wore my oldest, rattiest pair. It was their final hurrah.

It was a great morning, and I've been hobbling around all day. Tomorrow is definitely an upper body day.

Good hike.