Deliciously exhausted, well exhausted

I decided this morning as I was getting eight pounds of chicken dehydrating for jerky and marinating another 16 pounds that I would walk to the top of Montara Mountain. So as quickly as I could after cleanup and lunch, I packed up my Camelback and walked to the park.

Over four and one half hours later with over 27,000 aerobic steps and 15 miles, I was regretting not driving to the park. It's not that I minded the 1.3 miles to the park, it was downhill. But after all that walking, the last 1.3 miles up hill, however gradual the rise, was very noticeable.

When I was entering this in my spread sheet where I'm keeping my daily walking log, I realized that today was just a matter of degree. While Tuesday and Wednesday was only the 90 minutes or so I need to walk to get 10,000 aerobic steps in, Thursday was ten minutes shy of two hours; Friday was two and a half hours; and today was excessive.

Thursday I wanted to find out how far I had walked on my walks along Embarcadero, normally just over three miles. I also walked my maximum distance to find out how long that was, seven miles. Yesterday I was just walking on a trail, a big looping trail and that was just how long it took. Today, I could have done it in a little fewer steps but I wanted to walk back a different way than I walked up. After my first wrong turn and back tracking, I seriously thought about going back down the muddy rutted trail into San Pedro Creek park that I had come up but at that moment I was going down on a well graveled/sanded service road. I thought sure it had to connect with a new trail that I could take that would be better.

Later, after having gone downhill for some good distance, they finally had a sign post. The road that I was on was a road to Montara and Highway 1. I started looking for trails to the right that had to be shorter than going all the way to Montara. (In an earlier and until today longest walk, I had hiked 11 miles round trip almost to Montara and I had driven to the trail head.) The first trail to the right looked like it was too steep so I went on resigning myself to the longer but easier walking of the roads I had been on. But then there was what looked to be the trail I was looking for, so I took it. Indeed, it did deliver me to exactly where I thought I wanted to come out but after that first easy section, it consisted of some of the steepest rock faces I've ever attempted to walk. I was thinking that it was exclusively for daredevil mountain bikers when I passed someone WALKING UP.

Even though I was thinking at times that I should have had rappelling gear, I traversed the worst parts safely. It was on a less steep part I had an abrupt sit down. Oh well, it was time to wash these jeans anyway. (I just washed my other two pair, that fit, which is a good sign that the ones I'm wearing need it.)

Walking to the top of Montara Mountain was worth it, although, the next time I'm driving to a trail head and coming back out the same way to my car. One of the things that made it worth it was the very clear day. There I was on top of Montara Mountain looking for the Farallon Islands. Normally on clear days like this, they are easily spotted on the horizon. Then I found them. I was up so high that they weren't actually on the horizon. The horizon was blue ocean beyond them. There were just a couple wispy clouds out over the ocean and below me.

Ever since my first hike with the pedometer, where I did take pictures, I haven't taken any. On that first hike taking them, they interfered with the aerobic function. Today, I could have used a few more breaks, but didn't even have it with me, not that it would have taken the Farallon Islands all that well. I've tried that before when they were closer.

What I did have on the top of Montara Mountain was good cell phone reception. I think every cell phone company in the area has a position on one of the towers, maybe more than one. So, in addition to catching up on some family conversations, I was able to interact with Facebook. Maybe someday I'll figure out how to send a mobile picture in so I can use the camera on my phone to document my hiking travels. I have another electronic toy that would have been good to trigger at the top, my Spot. I would have liked to see what it did with that location. Oh well, some other time.