We set off in the opposite direction of the bike path for a a quick stroll around Guajome Park which was a small disaster from the get go; with the parking lot still in view I walked through a patch of mud and found myself sliding all over the place while shouting "I have made a mistake!" and flailing around. Carrie and Jo'l laughed as I staggered toward them and we kept on toward the park where we were accosted by birds who could sense the bread in Jo'ls pack with a terrifying accuracy. First a huge flock of something that came from the lake surged toward us, then we had to work our way past a group of geese who looked like they weren't in the mood to ask twice.
After the bird meeting we kept on through the park, and after we realized that our shoes were so caked in mud that we were hitting ourselves with it as we walked, the consensus was that we should move on and head for drier paths. We looped back around to our previous path and Carrie decided that yes, something in her pack was definitely leaking. When she took it off whatever it was had leaked enough to soak her pack through to the outside and after rummaging around with no source of the water she looked at us and asked "why is it so wet?"
We moved on to the bike path from there, starting at marker 8.9 and counting down as we went along. Despite reviews that said the path wasn't much to look at, it was actually pleasant and we saw a lot of birds, dogs, and bikes as we went along.
As we walked I decided that my new shoes were a problem on roads in addition to trails, and resolved to swap them out when we stopped for snacks. I had thrown my Mizunos into my bag with gel insoles in them just in case there was an issue. After yesterdays up, down, and scrambling I was really feeling every step. We also started taking our big packs today so that we can acclimate to the mileage with accurate weight and size. When it was time to stop at our midway point we broke out our backpacking chairs which are of three distinctly different types. Mine is the cheap one that weighs 4lbs but is comfortable, Jo'ls is the perfect one that is just like mine except that it weight 1lb and packs up easier and smaller, Carrie's is the one that she borrowed from Chris that is essentially a thong and three sticks that works up into a stool. Todays cheese: Horseradish cheddar from Trader Joe's. As we were eating we watched paragliders falling from a plane and gliding down to what turned out to be the airport.
We had gotten cold while we stopped to eat, but after walking for another mile and a half it warmed up and we were ready to ditch the extra layers. Suddenly there was the sound of water running and as I looked around for a water source that wasn't there, Carrie pointed to Jo'ls pack where her hip belt was resting on her water mouthpiece, and again we had to ask why everything was so wet. Jo'l had to put her pack back on with a soggy hip belt and we set off again.
A few miles back down the road we stopped for what can be thought of as a squat break, which to the untrained may be a little unusual. After walking for miles your joints are stiff, your muscles are tight, and it's hard to stretch. It feels really good to crouch down and pull yourself into a tight ball to stretch those muscles out and give the joints a break. As Carrie and I stretched, Jo'l sat down for arts & crafts time which involves the great kits she made us for Christmas. There's tape, neosporin, moleskin, KT Tape, scissors...
I fell behind and caught up again several times as we got closer to the end. The last three miles seem to be the hardest for me. By the time we reached the end my feet were so swollen that my shoes looked like twice baked potatoes. Once we reached the car I gratefully swapped them for my flip flops, but even those were snug getting onto my feet. It looks like I'm back to roadrunner to ask what kind of cushion they recommend for someone with the skeletal system of a senior citizen and the daily mileage of someone who is in much better shape than I am.
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