Today's plan, visiting the peak twice back-to-back, felt
daunting as I got up and did my morning routine. Anytime
I was about to embark on a longer run, I had this uneasy
feeling. The more details foreseen, the more risky it seemed.
Well, before the thoughts paralyzed the legs, I had 12oz
water and got out.
The ascent kicked off at 7:10am. I walked most of the uphill,
had one kitkat and 12oz water by the pole at the top, and
jogged back to the car at 9:00am. Had another 12oz water
and refilled the bottle at the water hole. Everything went fine.
The second round started OK. But after I left the last oak
tree, about 3 miles into the hills, I noticed my right big
toe was bloody. It might be a small cut and it wasn't
hurting much. I didn't bother to have a closer look. This
made me feel bad, nonetheless. The feet hurt and I worried
about the road ahead. "Pain is unavoidable but suffering is
optional." I took it easy and trotted to the bottom of the summit.
The last leg of the multi-lane trail did not seem maintained.
At its upper end began the rocky paths to the top. It was
steep. What I did there might not qualify for meditation,
but I was seriously focusing on the here-and-now, thinking
neither of the past nor the future but only one step at a time.
The kitkat tasted heavenly and I took my time to sip water
before the real challenge: the downhill. I felt rusty compared
with the first descent but managed to bounce among the
rocks down the summit without hurting myself. The quads
were fine and so it all came down to the feet. They carried me
without too much complaint. I never had to walk but my steps
were small and controlled which allowed me to brake quickly
when passing people. Midway, I started to feel thankful and
wear a silly smile. I passed the water hole and two minutes
later reached the car. 10:50am. Time to indulge.
Thank You!
