This is a pretty challenging hike for me. Not because of elevation gain - there's really not a lot of climbing to do - but because the trail is mostly rock. My knees and ankles are not as strong as they should be, and I end up feeling insecure in my footing and balance. John tightened my boots and that helped some, and I have a walking stick. I figured out that the only way to hike this kind of path is one step at a time. I have to watch the ground and focus only on how I'm going to make the next step. Sometimes baby steps is all I can manage. But I can maneuver my way across and around all the obstacles this way, and that feels good. Even though I go slow, I still enjoy it.
My ankles are not strong, but far stronger than they used to be thanks to strengthening exercises. I used to turn my ankle every week or so and now I can't remember the last time and, when I do, things pop back into place nicely. Bless those tightened peronei (sp?) -- I call them my pepperoni muscles! I still trudge along as you describe even on ordinary streets. Every step is a calculation sometimes. Rough paths are a greater challenge. Do you have hiking boots, the kind that cover your ankle? They are quite a bit of help.
ReplyDeleteP.S. You look good in that photo in the deep woods. Lovely colours. I like the photo of John and Jube. It reminds me of trails I have been on. Also the photo of Jube looking through that hole is cute.
ReplyDeleteI liked those photos too. John is really a lot better photographer than me - he is able to take in a whole ambiance and capture it.
ReplyDeleteI have the same boots I wore to Iceland, and they cover my ankles but they are not sturdy like hiking boots. More like sidewalk shoes. There were a lot of young families and college kids on this trail, not too many old fogies, like us. It's sometimes shocking to me that my body can't do what it used to do.