Today I did something I’ve been promising myself to do for almost 16 years.
Coming up to our subdivision there is a bridge over Mill Creek. As I whiz by in my car going to and from home, I always crane my neck to peer up or downstream to see a bit of the creek. It’s not a satisfying peek, though. I’ve always planned to hike up to that bridge and see how far up the creek I could go.
Today was the day! Never one to waste an opportunity, I hitched up Yertle the Turtle (my backpack) to make my suburban trek a bit more adventurous. The plan was to hike up to the bridge, descend to the creek and make my way upstream to a predetermined exit point on the back side of the subdivision. Along the way I planned to take some water from the creek and filter it. This is my first time to make a fully-loaded hike using my new trekking poles. Wow, what a difference! Quadrupeds are immensely more stable than bipeds on rough terrain! Even with a fully loaded pack, including tent, bedding, kitchen and pantry for a 3 day trek and 2 liters of water, my pack didn’t cause me even the tiniest bit of trouble.
Turns out I couldn’t get down to the creek at all. From the bridge I could get close enough to see that the waters were high and muddy. Lots of rain lately, I decided there was no point mucking up my water filter with suburban runoff. No telling what nasties are in there. Do I feel lucky? Uh, no.But I did learn some things! I learned that if you squat down on a slope with 40 pounds strapped to your back, you overbalance and tip backward onto your butt. Fortunately I fell uphill rather than downhill. Falling downhill would have sucked. Then I learned that a 62 year old woman doesn’t have enough leg strength to pick herself back up with Yertle on her back. Then I learned that’s one of the things trekking poles are good for. I also learned that toenails shouldn’t stick out beyond your toe. (Owww.)I learned that if you stop on a bridge on a busy highway with a huge pack on your back, nice little old ladies will stop and offer you a ride. Faith in humanity, restored.
And I no longer have to kick myself in the butt every time I drive over that bridge.
All in all, a successful and satisfying little trek.
