Taking a Walk on the Wild Side

The person on the far right is me at age 17 with my girlfriends. Look at that body! It is now approximately 50 years later. Where did the original me go?

I am getting myself ready for a 5 mile walk this morning. I figure that 2.5 miles is easy enough so I'll walk up river until I get that far. Maggie will enjoy sniffing her way along; if I don't end up dragging her because I'll be walking so fast! LOL That will be the day. Maggie has more energy than she knows what to do with.

I will need to get home somehow, so I will huff and puff my way back the 2.5 miles home. I'd love to take a trail into the woods, but something in my old mind keeps thinking about turning my ankle, Maggie getting hurt or a cougar following us and just what would I do about it if I was alone, unseen and unfound? Those anxious feelings will keep me on the road. Ten years ago, I would head into unknown territory without hesitation. Am I wiser or am I just more chicken? The Winchuck River Road is beautiful going up river, but Mags will have to stay on a leash all the way in case a lumber truck or a late riser deciding to go into town zooms by.

Salmon season has ended so our daughter will be heading back to the Bay Area. Jim will be free to take a hike with me then. Fishing always comes first in this family. Jim will willingly go into the woods with me and Mags. One of our favorite places is Wheeler Creek, where you can end up at the only place the Japanese bombed the United States in WWII. That can be next week.

Meantime, I will be safe alone on the road or at least some place where someone might notice me sitting crying because I turned that right ankle again. Funny how once you turn an ankle pretty bad, that ankle will hang on the rest of your life just waiting for a slight mistake in footing. It crunches and brings tears to my eyes each and every time. If I wait a few minutes, I often have no problem walking on it, but it is sore for a week or two afterwards. My fear is that one of these days, it won't let me walk like when I fell stepping into the boat 20 some years ago. Our first lab, Molly, sat in the boat with me while I laid there unable to move for at least an hour. Jim helped me hobble to the car. I had to fly to Indiana for a furneral a few days later. Without 500 mg of Tynenol, I could not have made that trip.

I read a list of ways to burn 500 calories per hour on the web this morning. It was funny that I can not possibly do any of those activities such as play squash for an hour, run at some impossible pace, or get on a bike and ride faster than I can drive our road. I guess my fate is to burn no more than 100 or so calories per hour and be satisfied that I can still do that! Just to walk 5 miles will be enough satisfaction for one day.

I received my heart monitor and hand weights I ordered. I have to set up the heart monitor this morning so I can see if I get my heart rate up to where the walking is actually a cardio workout. Somehow, I now look at sweat as a good thing. It usually means I am at the level of movement I need to be. I'm leaving the hand weights home for today. Can you imagine huffing up that last hill towards home lugging those things? I can't. My fat *** will be enough to haul up the hill.

Have a good think-thin day on me!

Walking The Dogs Up The Winchuck River

this Morning I received a newsletter from Ceasar, The Dog Whisperer, http://www.cesarsway.com/askcesar/cesarspeaks/Go-the-distance-Hiking-with-your-dog reminding me of the joy of hiking with our dogs up trail close to our home here on the Winchuck River in Southern Oregon. I hope you spend a moment reading the link to this post. It might just inspire you to get out there yourself re-connecting to nature while giving your dog some real joy! The picture above is myself with Marley, our Wired Hair Pointing Griffon who MUST run to have a complete life.


Myself again with both Marley and Maggie. Maggie is half Jack Russell and half German Shorthair. Can you imagine having that much energy? I certainly cannot. I appreciate her outlook on life going for the most at all times! If we could channel her makeup, we might just get our task done each and every day with time to spare! Look at that beauty of early spring forest!


The challenges for us old folk is hopping over rushing creeks. I wore boots this day, but prefer my hiking shoes so I don't really want to wade across. It is good for us keeping us able and moving even at our advanced ages. I am 69 and Jim is 72. We know many people that cannot imagine walking as far as we do and stop at the first creek...even those younger than us! It amazes me how we can put limits on ourselves that just don't make sense! Move it or loose it!


I love this regal picture of Marley seemingly on point high on a fallen tree. Staying home throwing a ball across the lawn just can't compare with getting up close and personal with our surrounding nature with Marley using her nose to find special smells not available in her home life.


You can see that I could walk further and faster to loose a few soft areas I have gathered on my body in old age. The dog treat bag is my fashion accessory; along with a whistle and a dog clicker. I look at all dog activities as a training session of sorts. The dogs are expected to come on call, sit and then get a reward. My training is to keep the heart rate up, breath deeply and take in my environment. I like to stay in the moment, enjoying the silence of the woods; while giving my dogs pure joy.