Six to Seven

After a brutal week last week with work and finals I decided that I needed to take a few hours today and just go hiking.  I went and hit the C-Trail around 11 AM and somewhere around a mile or so from the top I found myself on a very muddy and slippery trail in a rainstorm.  I decided at that point that it was time to turn back.  It had been just shy of two hours from when I had left the car.  That is pretty much all up hill which is not my favorite hike but it was good exercise and it was a beautiful day to be on that trail.  It had sprinkled a couple of times on my way up and that kept the temperature nice.  At my turn around point the rain was more than just a sprinkle and at that elevation the trail was already wet and muddy.  The mud was building up on the bottom of my shoes and my footing was much less stable than earlier on the hike.  I managed to only go down once and that was only to a three point stance.  I was happy not to have had to roll around in the mud.  The return trip was roughly an hour and there were several stretches where I ran a little or jogged it.  It wasn't by any means a sprint or anything like that.  There were moments that required a lot of caution because of the rain and the condition of the trail but otherwise it went well.  I mean, my body felt the impact of the running and the downhill run working the legs.  I am sure I will be feeling more of that impact tomorrow.  It was a great time though and I was happy to be out and on the trail.  That feels good.  I figure the entire trip was somewhere in the high 6, low 7 mile range.  I want to try and be consistent with hikes this summer and use them as a great workout regimen.  Anyway, it is wonderful to be out enjoying nature.