3/13/2010 Runnin' 'O the Green

Runnin' 'O the Green was my walk today, a 2 mile fun run/walk put on by Bellingham Parks and Rec. I can't say I was too prepared for it. Up until today my only fun run was the Race for the Cure many years ago in its early stages, and a remembrance walk in Manson, Washington, for a deputy sheriff killed in the line of duty.  Both of those were pretty low key. I came dressed for this walk like I do all my other walks--cotton pants, hat, gloves, coat; I looked pretty out of place compared to all the runners in their fancy gear. Shorts, tight running pants, no coats, wind jackets. I seriously have to get some new walking garb if I keep this up. I looked like an elf helper of Nanook of the North. I did have my new walking hat on, though, and it's sort of green, so at least I fit in that way. No wonder Christie, who was walking with me, ended up walking ahead of me for a good part of the way.

 I pinned my number across the zipper on my coat, so I couldn't unzip my coat once I got started either, and it did get a bit warm, considering I had two shirts on under the coat.  Oh well, I'll be better dressed for the next one.

I have to say I really didn't enjoy this experience all that much. I felt very rushed, and in fact, came in under 40 minutes for the 2 mile. That's pretty fast for me. Normally I am 22 minutes per mile at least.  I also didn't really want to come in last, and just beat maybe 3 or 4 other walkers. I'm pretty sure Christie didn't want to come in last either, and she had waited for me near the finish line.
I guess the good thing here is that I actually participated in a 2 mile walk, something I had only done once in the last 2 years and only twice before ever. The other good things are that it was a nice day, the weather cooperated, and I learned a few things about how I need to dress for the next one. My only worry now is my pace--these short little legs can only go so fast!  Here's my route: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/642682

3/12/2010 Hike of the Week

Every Thursday our local paper posts a Hike of the Week, so I decided to try out the Thursday, March 4, hike, Eaglemont Loop Trail. I waited all day for the rain and wind to quit, and finally headed out about 4:00 PM.  The newspaper article called the "hike" easy with minimal elevation gain. What the heck? I'm going to have to write to that columnist and have him do some explaining. Maybe for the avid hiker, this is considered easy, but not for one who is just 8 months out from a knee replacement. There is a 228 foot elevation gain in about the first 15 minutes of the walk. It starts out very nicely through a grove of old forest trees and crosses a couple of streams, and then the climb up to civilization begins. Only .33 of the trail is in the woods, the rest of the 2 mile trek is on sidewalks looping through the Eaglemont golf course residential area.  It took me nearly an hour to just go the 2 miles today. Although I have been walking everyday, the majority of the time I stay on pretty level trails; this one had some pretty steep climbs and some steep descents. If you have driven in the is area, you know what I am talking about. If I had been paying any attention when I drove to the trailhead, I might have had a clue. Any way, it was a good test for my knee. 

This area does offer some stunning views of the golf course and surrounding hills, and this is my favorite golf course in the area. The course is only accessible by golf cart, and you have to know your club selection quite well or you can lose a lot of golf balls here. Hopefully this spring I'll be ready to play the course again. I haven't golfed since last spring. As far as my walking goes, next time I will be more mentally prepared for this walk and perhaps a bit stronger. I'll be able to enjoy the scenery even more.  My route can be found here:  http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/642087

3/11/2010 A Birthday Walk

Today is my birthday, thus A Birthday Walk. I met some friends for lunch today in Anacortes, and one of them suggested the Tommy Thompson Trail for my walk today. Part of the trail just goes through town and isn't very scenic, but my friend Sally sent me southeast where the trail follows along Fidalgo Bay and eventually used to cross the bay over to March Point via a railroad trestle. Part of the trestle burned this past fall, so you can't walk all the way across now, but I had a great 2.86 mile walk. It was so nice to be near the water and on a paved trail. (It has been windy and rainy here since yesterday evening).

I grew up on the coast of Washington and my grandparents all lived along the coast of either Washington or Oregon, so the ocean has been a big part of my life. I guess that explains why my favorite walks are along the water. You can smell the salty air, hear the waves splashing on the rocks and the seagulls calling out as they fly overhead. I am so fortunate to live where I do. As I was walking on the part of the trail that goes out over the water today, I noticed it was covered with broken clam shells--literally hundreds of them. I am thinking it would be a good idea to wear a hard hat out there on the trail, as those clam had to have been dropped by seagulls, eagles, herons, or whatever other fowl eats clams. If you look closely at the bottom of this picture, you can see some of the shells. I saw quite a few ducks today, mostly Goldeneyes and Mallards, but they don't stick around long enough to have their pictures taken. This is a great trail, and I recommend it to anyone. It would also be handicapped accessible and since it is flat, even little children would enjoy it.

I am truly enjoying my walks everyday; it has become something that I look forward to now most days, regardless of weather, regardless if I am walking alone or with someone. It is such a pleasure to get out in the fresh air and walk away from everything and just enjoy nature for a bit each day. My route can be seen here: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/640864

3/10/2010 The Port Again

It seems that whenever our time is pressed for walking, we head to the Port Trails, but that's okay because with 10 miles of trails, I can change routes nearly every time.  Today my friend Christie and I walked the route along Ovenell Road. Last time I did this route was February 12. It is about 2.9 miles, and today we walked it in an hour. Pretty good time, getting faster.  Missed the rain again today, although it was a bit chilly. Seems to be raining at night and not during the day, good for walking. 

Didn't hear too many birds today, but when I walk with someone else, we are talking a lot, so I don't tend to hear the sounds. We did see the eagles today in the lower field, and I have found a tree that seems to be home to a pair of hawks.

The trail was a bit muddy today from the rain we have had, but it really is a pretty trail, and as you can see in the picture, new grass had sprung up along the sides of the trail giving it a good contrast. Today marks 69 straight days of walking. I am thankful for good health and the time to enjoy these walks.  My route today can be found here: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/639960

3/9/2010 Lake Padden

Today I returned to Lake Padden in Bellingham for my walk. The last time I walked that trail was January 6th. Today I walked the route 7 minutes faster than two months ago, which makes me feel good about my pace, but I also noticed how much stronger my legs are getting.  There are some minor up and down hills on this route on the back side of the lake through the trees. I noticed today how much more stable I am walking downhill and how much stronger I am going uphill. I also noticed that not near as many people are passing me. Today a jogger passed me only twice on the route, not bad considering those early days when people were passing me three or more times on a 2 mile walk.  When I first arrived today, it was windy, with white caps on the water, but by the time I came around off the back side, it was nicer; the sun was out, and it had turned into a beautiful day. Lots of people were out walking their dogs. In fact I think I and only one other set of walkers I saw were the only ones without a dog. The jogger I mentioned had a beautiful German Sheppard, unleashed, who stuck right with his owner on his run. I thought about all the other people I know with dogs; not sure how many of them would be able to jog on a populated trail like that with their dog unleashed. 2.5 miles today in 55 minutes. Full data here: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/639409

3/8/2010 In Like a Lion

Weird weather today. March has lived up to its reputation in coming in like a lion. I hope it goes out like a lamb...When I woke up, it was quite bright out; the sun was shining. By the time my friend Christie and I headed out for breakfast and a walk a little after 10, we drove through snow for a bit. An hour later, the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. We had a great walk on the CascadeTrail out of Sedro Woolley, 1.5 miles out and back, for a total of 3 miles in just over an hour. Good pace!  The Cascade Trail is built on an old railroad line, and runs from Sedro Woolley to Concrete, over 22 miles.  It crosses 23 railroad trestles, too, but we haven't seen those yet.

The section we walked on today passed by a llama farm. It was pretty neat to be so close to them, but not so close as to be spit upon!  The llamas in this picture appeared to be quite young, and were very curious as we walked by.  They all started heading in our direction when I stopped for a picture.  From what I have read, one section of the trail we walk through goes past an area known for its elk herds. That will be something to see.  At some point we will have to take two cars with us, so we don't backtrack on the trail.

The trail is a multiuse trail, so it is suitable for bikes, walking, and horses. In fact, two horses and their riders passed us today on the trail.

We stopped and had breakfast at the Iron Skillet in Sedro Woolley today before our walk. If you are in the area, I highly recommend it. It's a legend in Sedro Woolley. All in all, great day, great walk!

Here's the route: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/638202

3/7/2010 Tired Walker

Wow! Exhausted would be the word of the day. After sleeping nearly 10 hours, I awoke to gray skies and the prediction of rain for the next several days. Since I am heading back to Seattle tonight for a play, I decided to head out for my walk before it got too late or the rain began.  I did the upper loop at the Port of Skagit, 2.44 miles in 53 minutes. Not bad considering how worn out I am. Every time I sit on the couch, I move into a reclining position and fall asleep. It was actually quite peaceful out this morning, pretty quiet, not as many birds singing. Even on a gray Sunday, I passed (or they passed me) several people either walking or running the trails. The first animals I came across were the ducks and geese in the ponds near the old kayak shop. Someone drops food off for them along the road here quite frequently, and a few of them were eating when I approached, but quickly flew off. For having as many people around as there are at the port, the ducks sure are jittery of us humans. Every time I try to sneak in for a good shot, they all start quacking alarms and swimming away. Quite humorous actually. These two geese are pretty cool to see whenever I come this way, but hard to get a good picture.

On one area of the trail today I passed several spots where mushrooms were growing. I guess that's a testament to how little sunlight gets into that part of the trail.  I have no idea if they are the edible kind, and am not about to test them out. Here's my route today: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/637219
This coming Saturday I am walking in my first, of what I hope are many, fun run/walks this year. I will be walking the 2 mile walk/run of the Runnin' O' The Green in Bellingham. Looking forward to it.