One of our favority family activities is camping. Okay, maybe it is a favorite of Tim and me. Not so much Sterling (its boring!).
This last weekend we went up AF Canyon to Little Mill. Other than it being busy, I really like camping there. I love to sit out and relax. We drive through the canyon. We can run home if we forget something (which I think we do every time).
This time, Tim suggested we hike to Timp Cave. My first reaction was NO WAY! I am fat and out of shape and there is no way on this earth that I would make it up to the top.
Things change when your child wants to do it.
So we hiked up to the cave. And it was a miracle that I made it! Ster wasn't much better - we are both chunky and out of shape. Tim did great. When I saw the 1/4 way marker, I was very disappointed and knew then and there that it would be a bad hike. At the 1/2 way marker, I was wayyyyyyy beat. I thought that there was no way I was going to make it. At the 3/4 way marker, I was in bad bad bad shape. My feet hurt. My legs hurt. I was hot and sweaty. Very sweaty. I knew I wouldn't make it. I started making the boys stop every 50 to 100 feet. Seriously. Any little wall and I was sitting my fat butt on it. I was never so happy to see a bathroom in my life - it meant a couple of minutes of resting (no, I didn't need to piddle, but the boys did). Because at that point I didn't see how I could make it that last little bit. Ster was up a head of us (for some reason, he had more energy than me - and he was usually pretty good at needing to stop when I did. Well, come to think of it - I guess he didn't need to stop nearly as much as me) and Tim was following me and encouraging me and ready to just PUSH me up that dang trail.
But then......I MADE IT! To the cave! Yipee!
And boy was I disappointed when I had to go UP some stairs in the dang cave. I thought my thighs were going to give way. And then coming out of the cave and seeing that I had to go UP the trail before I could go down.
Coming down was heavenly. I could have made it down in ten minutes. Okay, maybe not that fast, but pretty darn fast!
I felt so good afterwards. My thighs and hips and caves and feet and heals hurt - but gosh darn it I DID IT!
The really good part of the hike was the blisters I came home with. If I can get the pictures off of Tim's camera, I'll gross you out with them. I was so happy when I hit that 1/2 way marker and knew that I would come away with blisters.
See, I had two choices - wear shoes that will hurt the bottom of my feet and then cause my feet to ache for days or wear shoes that are comfortable for the bottom of my feet but had some of the back worn off. I opted for the shoes that wouldn't hurt the bottom of my feet. And ended up with blisters. Lovely.
On the bright side......
I DID IT!
