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July 24, 2006
Don't Stop Moving
This was my 5th day off of work, and I've been acutely busy having fun. I haven't had a chance to have this much fun in a while, so I'm seeping it up like dry sand sucks up water in the desert. (I'm avoiding overtime at work. Shhhh, don't tell anyone I'm home tonight! But I'll be gone again first thing in the morning!)
A brief synopsis:
Thursday: Another successful run. 5 miles by trail, I think. Hot, hot, hot, Africa hot. I love everything about the heat except the fact that it's still 90+ degrees in my house at 8 pm.
Friday: 7 miles hiking on the Lava Creek Trail with friends, then sitting chin deep in the cool Gardner River afterwards. There is nothing like sitting in the middle of a river on a hot summer day. 30 minute very easy trail run in the evening, so hot. Calf muscle still feels great.
Saturday: 20+ miles hiking with friends, but not before spending 2 hours in the early morning trying to dig my friend's mud-stuck car out of mud, the only mud hole on this particular dirt road. This day included about 12 hours or so of activity, perhaps a bit too much for me that day. We hiked on the Pitchstone Plateau Trail, appropriately named for its pitch-colored rocks. It was hot, the black rocks were hot, I ran out of water, felt overheated and cotton-mouthed, on the verge of feeling quite ill. We walked past a few snowfields (how they survive on the black rock is beyond me) and I stuffed my shirt full of snow. It felt amazing. Gatorade from a gas station at the trail's end cured all my ails, though, and I recovered from becoming a shriveling raisin afterall.
Sunday: 1 hour trail run in the Clearwater National Forest in Idaho with my friend Melissa. Dusty, dry trail in the waning light of evening. We climbed up high above a creek called Boulder Creek, but we could still hear the rush of water in the creek below. We managed to climb out of the heat sitting still in the valley, and up into the cool breeze dancing along the ridgelines. My friend Melissa and her bicycle touring group made it to Idaho! I drove there to camp and ride with them. We camped about 30 feet from the edge of the Lochsa River. It was oh-so-102 degrees-hot, so the river came in handy. Had a wonderful evening, sitting in camp chairs next to the river with our feet underwater, watching the bats swoop over the water collecting insects, and chatting about the world. Was an uncomfortably warm night for camping, too hot, even, to get into a sleeping bag.
Monday: About 60 miles bicycle riding through the Lochsa River Valley in Clearwater National Forest with my friend and her tour group. My friend and I rode hard and felt amazing throughout. We started very early to avoid the record-breaking heat. Sat in the Lochsa River (again) until I was chilled by the mountain waters.
That's all, folks. More adventures to come, I still have 3 days off of work!
Posted by Meghan at July 24, 2006 9:54 PM