It’s my favourite time of year … we had a beastly summer. Ugh. It was so hot that I hardly wanted to go outside and poor Fergus just lay in front of the fan and would only go for a walk if it was night-time. We lived like vampires and only ventured outside when the sun went down.
Well the heat is finally gone and the crisp cool Pacific North West air is back and so we have been hiking up a storm. 🙂
One of the best things about living here on the island is that I can hop in my car and 15-20 minutes later I can be deep in the forest. On Sunday we hiked through Gowllend Tod Park. These guys were just standing there waiting for me. Hi!!
Any time I get into the woods and start walking around I am overcome by the beauty of it all. How lucky am I to have this available to me whenever I want!!
I accidentally wore army green pants and my army green camouflage jacket. Can you see me??
It was a blustery day. Not cold but windy and rainy. The kind of rain that is super small and almost misty. It pelts your face and feels like you’re in a sandstorm. We hiked to the top of Holmes Peak and walked into the biggest most intense rainbow I’ve ever seen.
It was perfection and worth the blister on the back of my heel from my rubber boots. I think it might be time to invest in some Wills hiking boots.
Here I am hiding … you can’t see me because of all my camouflage. Bah ha ha.
I realized while we were hiking that the most amazing thing has happened. I am fit. Like we hiked to the top of that giant hill and I was barely winded. My legs were powerful and I only had to stop once to catch my breath and that’s because I was “double timing” it up a steep section of stairs.
My body was so weak after chemo I never thought I’d get my strength back but little by little and I have moved from weak former cancer patient into strong healthy lady who likes to climb up hills. Daily Aquafit has been good to me. My body is stronger, my cardio has expanded. I’m a jock!! ha ha.
Even pre-cancer Sarah didn’t like to be this physical. She didn’t like to get sweaty or mess up her hair. Post-cancer Sarah likes to get sweaty and see how far she can push her physical limits but she still doesn’t like to mess up her hair… 🙂
On Monday we ventured to John Dean park. What a beautiful park … and so many different paths you can take.
We climbed all the way up to Pickles’ Bluff. The view was incredible …
It was a little slow-going when we had to climb the stairs back up to the path – my knees were a little sore from the previous days hike and I didn’t have as much power in my legs but my 15 year old senior dog was raring to go. He is like a little billy goat when we go hiking. 🙂
On the drive back home we stopped at various road-side stalls and picked up some food. YUM!! I made a pear, apple, fennel, ginger juice and it was the best way to end our day.
In other news … My “space” where my breast used to be is incredibly itchy. Does that mean I’m going to kiss a fool? 🙂
Sarah, what a fantastic post! Thanks for taking us all along on such a fine day.
With much love,
~ David and Cathryn
What an awesome post !!