Late Spring Hike

Day 123 - Today I went with my hiking group on a long and a little more challenging trail. It is also late spring by now, and so it was also very hot and we walked most of it in the sun. In 4 hours of hiking we covered only 10 km (6 miles) and we were all very tired. This is not to say anything about how wonderful our day was. There's still a lot of vegetation and as the weather gets hotter we appreciate so much more every shading tree; the landscape was striking at parts and the company was great. By now we are good friends of each other and it is much fun just to do things together and to meet each other and talk while we walk.
After we finished the hike we drove to the house of one of our group members, only few miles away, for a BBQ. We bought meats and salads and drinks and we had a very relaxing afternoon. They have an amazing view of the biggest lake in our country and it’s just the most beautiful view you can possibly have. So we set on their porch and we ate and enjoyed the view and they brought their karaoke machine so we did some singing and later even dancing. It was SO much fun. We stayed there for a few hours and only after sunset we started our way back home. It was such a great day!
I hiked this trail many years ago with my then boyfriend and I still remember that hike fondly. We did the whole length of the trail then, which is more than twice as long, and we did it over two days. This time I did it as a member of a group of singles, all in our 50's and more but still with enough energy and enthuse, and it was still a lot of fun.

I am so thankful for this absolutely wonderful day, for the hike, the BBQ, the dances and the singing. I am thankful for friendships forged on the trails of our beautiful country. I am thankful I still have the energy and the physical ability to hike so much and to try to make up for all the lost hikes during the years. I am thankful that after a week of long hours at the office, I can take my weekend off and forget everything, and just have fun. It is so re-charging.