Marin headlands hike

GG Bridge in the distance
Originally uploaded by maisnon

Alternatively, trekking poles - I totally love you and you so saved my ass!

Our hike on Saturday was in the Marin headlands, and it was .... GORGEOUS! (Even though the weather at the start was NOT.) Driving over the Golden Gate Bridge to get there, and pulling up next to the beach and I had this overwhelming feeling of, "Whoah! I *live* here!"

As we got ready to hike, the weather couldn't decide what it wanted to do. Cold, windy, sunshines for a few minutes, and then something akin to drizzle. We started off and went uphill. And then we went up. And then we went up some more. And then we went up a section so steep that there were stairs. And then we went uphill. This was, for me, the worst possible way to start out. From doing marathons, I know that my shins take a good, long while to warm up and that I can not push them at all during that time. No such luck today! We spent about 1.5 hours hiking uphill. The shins - they were not happy with me.

I did, however, get to practice using my trekking poles going uphill. I definitely have to work on that. The trekking poles earned my affection on the way downhill. If I hadn't had them, I would have eaten it more than a few times. Especially on the stairs - the poles really offer a lot of stability, not to mention taking stress off of your knees. I'm sold!

By the time we finished the hike, the sun was warm on our backs and I, at least, had a sense of accomplishment. I arm-twisted a few of the women in my buddy group to go for lunch after. It was a carb-loaded end to a great hike!