And why do I do it?

Some mornings that is all I can ask myself. Then after 20 minutes on the trail it becomes all too obvious. I love the mornings and how calm everything is. So relaxing being first (or close to first)

on the trail. Plus the views never get old. So get out there people.

That feeling went away about 45 minutes into the hike up Lamb's Knoll. I took the service road up this morning which is only 2.3 miles and has an elevation gain of 900 feet. Near the top the grades are almost top at 15%. I believe this is a good hike in training for the TMB. Since we are on the numbers, it took me 51 minutes with an average speed of 2.7 mph. I am happy with those numbers.

As I was hiking up, there was a trail runner going down. His feet were going as fast as they could and it looked like his body couldn't keep up. I would loved to be at the bottom to see how he came to a stop. Today I decided to take smaller steps hiking up hill and this seemed to reduce my fatigue. I have also decided my poles need to be a bit longer. Good things to know as I prepare for the TMB.

Since I started late and didn't get on the trail until 620 am, I missed the sunrise. A little disappointing, but it took me longer to get motivated this morning. I was about 10 minutes from White Rock and I just couldn't will myself to move any faster.

If you are interested in the diabetic numbers. I started with a BS of 190. I turned my Omnipod to the "activity" setting. Forty minutes into the hike I popped a few tootise rolls because I could feel my BS starting to drop. When I got to White Roack, my BS was at 80 and dropping. So I broke out the double batch of Gatorade and drank like 8 ozs. Then on the way down, my BS stayed in the good range. The climb up was a bit intense.

I took the AT down and the hike was 3 miles and my average speed dropped to 2.3 mph. It is harder to hike on a trail than a service road. This section of the trail is steep and rocky, so going down had its challenges. I finished with 5.3 miles of hiking today which I am happy with.

People on the trail

1 Trail Runner

1 Couple with a 30 L backpack

1 Guy with a day pack

Pack Lightly

Justjoe