Four Days of Hiking : Yes, I'm Going to Brag About It

There was hiking. Then more hiking. Then even more hiking.

And because apparently I have no sense of moderation, there was additional hiking after that.

Four days. Four hikes - for me.

Yes, I am absolutely going to mention it repeatedly.

If excessive self-congratulation isn't your thing, feel free to step away briefly.

Before you know it, I'll be back to my regularly scheduled self-loathing and self-deprecating programming shortly.

But for now?

I sparkle.

The Monday Morning Farewell Hike

I won't bore you with all the details.

I know. Growth.

After an entire weekend of mountains, mud, views and enough fresh air to confuse my city-dwelling brain, I was feeling slightly Lesoba'd out.

A fourth blog felt unnecessary.

Besides, I'd spent half the night scrolling through photos, reliving every glorious moment and, more importantly, reflecting on how ridiculously gangsta I am.

And here I am, several paragraphs later, doing exactly what I promised not to do.

So much for restraint.

Anyhooo .... four hikes in four days doesn't celebrate itself.

Some people did two.

Others three.

Me? Four.

Just saying.

Not because I'm trying to prove anything at 60.

Obviously.

Oh... stop.

Okay, the fact that I keep mentioning both the number of hikes and my age probably isn't helping my case.

To be fair, Monday's "farewell" hike was really more of a walk. But still. It involved walking outdoors over a measurable distance, so I'm counting it.

Fight me.

It was a gentle farewell stroll but lovely in its own quieter way.

We set off at 6:30 a.m., which completely changed the atmosphere. The trail was peaceful, the light was soft, and for a brief moment the world seemed unusually well-behaved.

Boris and Basil joined me for this final 4 km out-and-back wander.

We followed a straight, flat and definitely muddy path to the famous hole in the wall we'd spotted on Saturday without this duo.

This time we admired it from a different angle, confirmed it was still a hole in a wall, took photos and headed back.

Groundbreaking stuff.

Thank You, Basil

A special thank you to Basil for joining me.

I missed you on the hikes you skipped or cut short, and having you there for the final walk completed the weekend perfectly.

Sometimes it's not about the kilometres; it's about the company.

Although let's not get carried away.

I still counted the kilometres.

At 60.

I am not going to flood this post with photos.

And before anyone mistakes this for maturity or restraint, let's not say things we'll regret.

This level of self-control is highly unlikely to happen again.

Thank You

To my beautiful birthday tribe: thank you for showing up, hiking hard, laughing loudly and helping create memories we'll be talking about for years.

We tackled incredible trails and one truly legendary hike that will forever begin with the words:

"Remember when..."

And yes, I was the only one who completed all four hikes.

Just mentioning it.

At 60.