Long-walks and Ginger Scones

Walking. A simple task right? A point A to B sort of thing at its core. Walking. Walking can tell us so much about ourselves. Tired walking the dog? Pretty good sign you are in bad shape. Invigorated from 40 story climb up Turkey Mountain … Pretty good sign you are turning the corner.

Today PB and I took a nice hike around the local county wilderness area. Pyramid Mountain (Turkey Mt. is a part of the same park). Understand that I live in a state where the highest point above sea level is about 1850 feet.

My brother on the west coast laughs at what we will call a mountain in New Jersey.

Still is it what we have and it is what I hiked today.

I can say honestly that I could have gone much further than the 4 miles we trekked. I say that with mild shock because I truly could not have walked half the distance when I started this journey and to do the 4 miles in the steep hills a day after a 10 mile hike through The Preserve… Well I just love the way it makes me feel.

PB is a friend of long-standing and a supporter of my fitness and weight loss efforts. I have now done several hikes with him and at first he waited up for me as we walked, now we walk about the same pace. Progress….

PB is also a skilled baker and today he brought along ginger scones. Now, as I mentioned, PB is a supporter of my efforts and he is not trying to tempt me to the dark side.. He checked on-line and tested the recipe and found that each scone was a respectable 250 calories. I can certainly fit them in to today’s plan…

Missus and I will each have at least a part of one, perhaps saving the rest until tomorrow…

I did have a taste when I was given the scones and I have to say they are incredible…

SO back to thoughts on walking.

I find that the walking, even when with a friend, is a time of solitude and respite for me. Respite from the pressures of the world outside of the park, the pressures of day to day living. At some point along the walk we came on an area known as The Glen. This was a hang-out in High School. A place to escape parents and other ADULTS. Now it was a place to escape the world outside. I noticed as we stood there that the mechanical world seemed so distant. Sounds of cars and trucks, planes, and lawn mowers were faint almost to the point of silence. Only the breeze through the trees and the sounds of birds…

The trail starts at a cut for power lines. It is a long and steep climb. A section is known as 100-steps because of the rock steps put in by hand by long forgotten men, probably to aid access to the power lines or, if they are earlier, just make it easier to get to the few farmsteads that once stood on these hills. I am told no one really knows the history. It is a daunting start to a hike. Standing at the bottom, looking up the hill, seeing the rocks to be climbed. It is a wonderful feeling to stand looking at that and know that it will not be a problem. And it wasn’t/

It was a great long-walk in the woods with a friend who made me Ginger Scones that I could fit in my plan.

Breaking the Barrier

I broke the 250 pound barrier today. Hell I smashed through. I am now at 248.4 pounds. It is nearly indescribable how it makes me feel. This felt so far away when I started the journey. The half way point, 45-pounds, felt so far away. Now I am down 57.2 pounds. I have 38.4 to go. I have taken off so much and improved my health so much. I can’t wait for my next physical. I am tempted to schedule it right away! I want to see what my pulse rate is now. I want to talk to the doctor about when I can start trying to move off the BP meds.

I told PB today that I truly feel 10 years younger than I did just 4 months ago. No hyperbole, no dramatic license. I Feel the way I did when I was 40. I have a spring in my step, a lightness on my feet. I sleep better, a have more energy through the day. I am back in love with cycling, walking, hiking. I am energized in ways I did not expect when I started this.

When you are 100 pounds overweight it seems like a long way down. Lose ten? Still have 90 to go… Lose 20? Still 80…. It seems like such a long way to go.

I have dedicated myself to this. I think about it every day, every hour of every day. Nothing is eaten without thought, contemplation, reason… Beyond the eating I have dedicated myself to fitness. Walking, Hiking, Cycling…

This has been one of the most wonderful endeavors of my life and it is nowhere near finished. The next 38 pounds will fight me I am sure. They will lose. I will be 210 pounds again.

I broke the 250-pound barrier. The Journey continues. The plan keeps working, the Goal is still there ahead of me.

Tonight I am celebrating by eating a 250-calorie Ginger Scone baked by my friend.

Peace.