Sunday Stroll

Friday was free money day. I finally got to cash in my $100 REI gift card, using it to replace the hiking boots I’ve had for more than 12 years – I was thinking maybe the old boots were contributing to the beat up and footsore issue. Couldn’t get boots – they didn’t have any in my size and price range. So I got a pair of hiking shoes instead, and the reading I’ve done since says that the higher ankle on boots really doesn’t contribute to supporting the ankles anyway.  I’m a happy camper - less weight on the feet is less weight dragged down the trail.

My original plan was to head down to Sky Meadows State Park to challenge myself with some elevation variation. Then I saw that gas has jumped to $3.89 a gal and that intermittent thunder storms were predicted. Yeah, that’s what I want – spend a bunch of money on gas and climb up into an open meadow on a mountaintop during a thunderstorm. Um…not so much. But turned out the thunderstorms were just showers and there was a lull in them Sunday morning, so I dashed out the door and grabbed some time on the AT. Not much in the way of a challenge elevation-wise, but it'll do.

It was gray and occasionally showery, so not much good for views:

 

But the rain and warmth has brought green, green green:

And it's brought some fast-sprouting and interesting plants.

A bright fungus of some kind:

A patch of  Indian Pipestem:

The new shoes did well, and my feet were definitely in much better shape at the end than they have been.  A brisk 6.5 miles in and out of showers and then it was back to my garden to putter in the sun that emerged by early afternoon.