Another week of EPIC

So a week ago I hiked the Dodson Trail. 12 miles. Perfect weather.

This week, I topped that.

On Saturday I patrolled the Marufo Vega Trail, including the river spur, for a total of 15 miles. It took 8 hours and 33 minutes in total, including breaks. It was mid-70s, but I still had to take one break for shade due to temporary overheating around 1 or 2 o'clock. I can't imagine how people due that hike when it's hotter outside - there's really only one shady section on the whole trail.

Of course, I still had to work on Sunday. So I hiked again! I joined some backcountry volunteers for a hike up Pine Canyon, a mere 4 miles round trip by comparison, but steep enough to make my calf muscles scream after the day before's hike!

But I wasn't ready to stop there. Because on Sunday night we decided it would be a great time to hike to the hot springs in the moonlight. It was a great hike out there, though my aching feet made me a bit of a pooper before we got started. But once we were on the trail, and especially once we got to the springs, I felt pretty great. The trick came when the 40mph winds that were predicted came up out of nowhere and we realized we had to hike back, into the wind, with sand blasting on our faces, suddenly finding it a bit more difficult to see the trail... by the time we got back, we all wanted a shower and were on an epic runner's high - that's right, we were actually jogging for parts of it. Me! Jogging! Perhaps I will start running again, but very slowly I think. We'll see.

Tonight I'm hosting the SCA interns for supper again, and then we're hiking to the hot springs by moonlight, as long as these clouds clear up. Otherwise it'll be by flashlight.

This week I'm taking a first aid course, and on Saturday I'll be giving my first presentation since I got here. Wish me luck!