Day 3,954 —the Fog, the River, and me—

 

I knew I would be muddy, so I brought my Yaktraxs. I ordered a new pair last week when it looked like we would get ice on Wednesday. I wish I had this pair for the Shippey! But live and learn. 

There was a lady with her hazard lights on when I got there. Her car was running, and when I looked over to see if she needed help, she was looking at her phone, so I started my run. I have done this run so many times, yet it is still always challenging, but I know all the beats. Part of me thinks I need to go back to adding different parts of the trail that aren’t part of the Chubb, but I like that trail the best, and it is a balanced challenge. The second half has all the rocks and hills. The first half is muddy, but you get to run by the river, which just makes me happy.  

The mud was insane, and I had to go around one section because the water was so high. Also, there was still snow and ice on the ground. I loved the way the fog looked with the river and the snow in the background, but it was not an easy run, and even with my Yaktraxs I slipped once, and I dropped my phone in the mud, but it was surprisingly okay.

I could have complained, but I figured it was good training for the future, and it was nice having the entire trail to myself. The only other people I saw were working. I am not sure what they thought when they saw me in my shorts, vest, and mud-caked on my legs. I might have seen two people walking the trail when I got to the end, but it was mainly a journey of solitude.

It made me think about all the times I would go exploring in the creek in my backyard. I loved having that park behind my house. Sometimes I would just go ride my bike for hours or climb trees and sit as high as I dared to.

I used to love finding a park bench to sit and read. I don’t know how much reading I would get done when I was outside, but it was so peaceful to be outside with a book. Somewhere that no one could find me. 

Maybe I should start planning stops at my favorite parts of the trail, so I could sit and read a book, or maybe just look at the sky.