Working Hard

So this last week and a half or so has just been getting back into work mode for me. It was tough hiking around the mountains around here after visiting the Tatras and doing some serious mountaineering, but I guess this is the way it has to be so that I don’t get too spoiled? Whatever.

Things have been going well here though. I did get to visit a new hiking area to look for some signs of wolf presence. It was exciting to go exploring and see how lost I could get myself. Instead of this area bordering Slovakia, like so many of the other areas I have hiked in, this one borders the Czech Republic. I got to spend two days hiking through some parts of the Czech Republic and found some pretty cool places. Unfortunately I didn’t find any wolf scats, but this area hadn’t been surveyed in over five years, so that is not a complete surprise. I stayed in a room in a house up in the mountains near Wisła, which is famous in Poland because of a big ski jump there where Adam Małisz (2002 Olympic Gold Medalist in Ski Jumping) lived and trained. The house I stayed in was an old, traditional mountain home, with all the goods—creaking floorboards, wood stoves in almost every room, and of course, all the creepy crawlers. I had to make a quick inspection of the shower every time before getting in. It was a cool place though and the couple who owned the home was very nice. The woman even made me a homemade dinner every night! It was great.

I have decided to get serious about getting in shape again. This hiking 15 miles a day is okay, but it doesn’t really get the adrenaline going or the heart pumping like I want. I added some more running to the mix this week. One run definitely stands out: I went running down this old road in the mountains during a thunderstorm and I couldn’t get myself to turn around. I wanted to find out where this mysterious road led. Well, after slogging uphill for about 25 minutes and having my shoes fill with water, I found out. Guess what it led to? Absolutely nothing-- it dead-ended. I was a little disappointed at first, but then I realized that that wasn’t the point. It wasn’t what was at the end of the road that was important, but the journey itself. That run was the coolest run I have done in a long time. I didn’t mind being cold and absolutely drenched, but just enjoyed being able to run, especially up in the mountains where I can enjoy nature. Some day I will be willing to give anything to be able to run up in the mountains. I am just thankful that that day is not today. Today I could run up in the mountains, so I did.

That about wraps it up for this last week or so. Oh, I did have a close encounter with a huge bull elk. I startled him while hiking through an area I have dubbed “Wolf Alley.” He ran down the hill a little ways and then turned and stared me down. I must admit, he was definitely the more impressive of the two of us. I’m sure he knew that too. He just stood there and watched me while I hiked off. I hope he escapes the hunters in the coming weeks, because he is quite an animal.

I miss the Salt Lake autumn, with the beautiful Cottonwood Canyons showing off their colors. I am not sure what next week holds for me yet, but there’s also beauty in that too. I’ll catch all of you down the road, wherever it leads.