It isn't often that you return from vacation in better physical shape than when you left. We spent most of our week in Canada hiking and eating trail mix all day. Didn't matter what we ordered for supper -- we'd already burned all of those calories and then some. We came back home and found that we had a little more energy than normal, and we liked it. Neither of us wants to lose that.
Since we both work for a living, hiking all day every day is not an option. But getting out on the weekends is doable, especially if we could go somewhere close to home. There just happens to be a mountain very close to us: Stone Mountain. Sure, it is basically just a huge rock, but it is nearby and has hiking trails. We could get there, hike to the top and back, and be home in less than an hour and a half. Plus, it would be a good place for us to take our bikes for some riding. So we bought ourselves an annual parking pass and went there this morning to hike.
We did the walk-up trail, and then walked the 5.5 mile loop around the base of the mountain. And it was so friggin' humid it felt like we were walking in a sauna. The loop trail may have to wait for cooler weather before we try it again. But the walk-up trail will be seeing us again very soon, early in the mornings before sunrise and heat and crowds.
14 comments:
*sigh* Cityfolk... :ewink:
We can't all live in Bat Country...
Isn't there a ski-lift thingy to take you up? I can't tell from a few thousand feet while it's on the right landing to the west at Hartsfield.
Dave - there is the "sky lift", but there is no way in hell that I'd get PDM on that thing. He has a heights phobia. Plus, the sky lift won't make us any skinnier.
skinny? is that what this is all about? lmao. I should take some before and after photos because I think this semester at WKU will do me in.
Love the photo you do great work.
Dr Jenn - Five years ago I quit my job/career, moved from New England back to Atlanta, and went back to school full time to get another masters degree (to facilitate a career change). I was just SURE that walking all over campus with five or ten pounds of books and computer on my back for a year would cause me to lose a few pounds. It never happened. *shrug*
Gotta agree with you on the campus walking thing -books, backpack, etc., (no computer though in my case) and traipsing all over the campus at Penn State -which is very large -for four years never did a lick for me in terms of weight loss. Sometimes did make my brain seem a lot lighter though-probably because by the time I graduated, I think it was pretty well fried. But walking in heat that is really heavily laced with the high humidity too -now that should melt all kinds of fat if one is after that goal.
I'm with u on that energy and exercise u get from vacationing. Touring Jacksonville and Atlanta earlier this year was more exercise than I had done in a long while.
Great pix!
Good for you. I love hiking and your vacation sounds ideal. I don't think I've lost much weight, but the campus here is so full of hills that I have more definition in my legs than ever. I'm going to miss that.
Jeni - PDM and I could afford to lose some flab from our middle sections.
Debo - a change of scenery can be a good way to start getting a little more active.
Natalie - I'd settle for some leg definition! We tried a neighborhood bike ride on Sunday afternoon. Made our legs feel like jelly even though it wasn't a long ride - we rode over to the public library to check out the renovation that the county is doing.
I love hiking in the mountains. There is always something new to look at to distract you from the fact that your lungs somehow jumped out and ran back down to the bottom. I have been to the escarpment twice so far this summer but I have to take it easy now with the spurs. They hurt like hell when Im done.
Nice. I wish we had even a Stone Mountain here in Detroit. Walking in the neighborhood is just not that interesting.
BC - not much of a mountain, but it will do.
Kat - the vertical is good for making the walk more of a workout. Plus who doesn't like climbing on rocks?
I am SO GLAD you guys are going outside to play! YAY! I know it can humid, gross and draining because of that, but it's not always like that and I applaud you for the motivation and drive you're showing!!! Go take a hike!
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