Not too surprisingly, I woke up this morning to an already-warm house, and an already sore back. *sigh*
I crawled (carefully, I might add) from bed, fixed breakfast, and settled in to watch CBS Sunday Morning, which is sort of like the Sunday paper for those of us too lazy on a Sunday to even, uh, read.
When it ended, I shut off the TV, looked around, and figured “oh, what the hell”.
Yep, that’s right, the GeekHiker returned to the trail today.
Okay… so it wasn’t much of a trail. Close to the city. Three miles round-trip. Little elevation gain. I was done in 2 1/2 hours, and that’s with my copious picture-taking.
But, good God, did it feel good to be out there again. A thousand yards in, the sound of the city disappeared behind me. The birds were talkative, filling the trees with chatter. A warm (really warm) breeze came down the canyon, causing the new oak and sycamore and maple leaves to dance. The creek, already near dry for the season, appeared and dissapeared as I walked along the trail.
Even better, it appears the month that I stayed off the trail to give the knee time to heal did the trick. Not a bit of pain, even jumping down from rocks or boulder hopping across the creek.
The really odd thing about the experience was this: the trail, though pretty easy, did involve ducking under trees, some boulder hopping, scrambling, even one ascent up a rope. And, with one or two twangs, the back didn’t hurt a bit during the hike.
Sitting back here on the couch, writing this, it’s sore again.
Go figure.
The GeekHiker 
Sounds like fun! Hopping, Jumping, Scrambling, and a rope! Wow! As for the whole pain later thing, those endorphins and that adrenalin are amazing… I always feel that way when I have a cold or something too… you go outside work up a sweat and feel fabulous, and then get home and suddenly feel twice as bad….
By: Aly on May 18, 2008
at 11:06 pm
I completely agree about CBS Sunday Morning. I am too lazy to read the Sunday papers, but my Sunday is never complete unless I curl up on the couch and watch the entire broadcast.
Glad you were able to get out on the trail again!
By: lea on May 19, 2008
at 5:01 am
Woo hoo! 😀
I bet you grinned the whole time too.
By: just a girl on May 19, 2008
at 6:54 am
Sounds like a nice Sunday stroll. Glad to hear about the back and knee.
By: Homer-Dog on May 19, 2008
at 7:00 am
Glad you got out and about. Hopefully your back will be in better shape soon! Where did you go, out of hiker curiosity? 🙂
By: Mel Heth on May 19, 2008
at 10:44 am
I LOVE CBS Sunday morning!! My most favorite is the last few minutes of the show. 🙂
Glad to hear you got out for a hike, but sorry the back is still bothering you. Sadly I have sore back syndrome more often than not, moving my patients all around.
By: *kb* on May 19, 2008
at 3:45 pm
Nice.
Looks like you traded one pain for another. Sounds like a perfect analogy of life. 😉
By: Aaron on May 19, 2008
at 6:48 pm
Aly – I thought endorphine rushes only happened with hard exercise; this was more of a gentle stroll for most of its length…
Lea – Only thing I hate is, out here at least, they’re always changing start times. When it’s 7, I’m good. When it’s 6… well, that’s just way too early to get up on a Sunday!
Just a Girl – for part of it… not the parts where the back twinged!
Homer-Dog – Thanks! The knee makes me happier than anything, really.
Mel Heth – It’s already starting to feel better, which is good considering I have a couple of long hikes coming up. Post later on this week.
*kb* – Another fan! I like the last few minutes too! Bummer ’bout the bad back, though.
Aaron – Sometimes it is, my friend…
By: geekhiker on May 19, 2008
at 9:30 pm
Grrr stop being a guy and give yourself time to heal. 😛
I am happy you got back out there….I’m jealous per the norm.
By: cripkitty on May 20, 2008
at 8:55 am