Hike #4

Sunday April 11th

Days Post-Op: 18

Lbs Lost: 21

I chose a late Sunday morning for this week's hike so that my co-worker and good friend could join me. Sunday gave us surprisingly perfect weather for this week's adventure on the Burke-Gilman Trail. I know this still doesn't quite qualify as a "hike" but hey.. I'm still less than a month out from surgery here!

We met on the UW Bothell campus and conquered a quick flight of stairs before we wound our way through the wetlands. As we confidently passed a creepy underpass section of the trail we agreed that this would be a nice area to stash a body. Our similar quirky sense of humor followed us as we noted the woman walking the trail in heals, at the ridiculous abundance of bright green windbreakers, the standoff between a pair of geese and a great blue heron, and the suspicious geocachers pretending to be anything but. As we walked along the river we talked about work, friends, pets, family, where we grew up, college days, future hikes, and just how life changing our experiences have been so far.

We made our way down the trail between the highway and the river, past the poplar trees and the spruce saplings. We fought the urge to venture off the trail in search of the barbecue we smelled nearby! And finally we found ourselves at the logical turn-around point for us - Wilmot Gateway Park in Woodinville. We took a moment to note the well kept playground and the large field of pristine green grass that was probably too soggy for a picnic. On our return voyage we crossed paths once again with walkers, joggers, and cyclists who had also turned around at some point. We cooed over the cute dogs and double checked... yep.. she really is walking the trail in heals! Our round trip hike to Wilmot Gateway Park and back came to just over 3 miles and I proudly exceeded my original distance goal for the week.

Hike #5 will have a slightly more challenging goal with a little bit of a twist to it... so stay tuned!