Double surprise hike
The first surprise was when I went outside at 6:00 and noticed it was slightly warmer outside than it was in the house. I keep the house pretty cold but still I was like hey this is nice out here and I thought I should maybe just go hike right now. The next surprise happened about 20 feet later when I looked up and I saw a good amount of stars were visible. It doesn’t happen that often out here near the city where I live that you could see a lot of stars. I mean it wasn’t great it wasn’t great but I could see one of the little dippers or the big dippers and some other constellation parts and I was like hey let’s go so I started my hike That was the two surprises before I even really started the hike.
So there was enough light to see and enough light from the street lamps that I have plenty of light so I started my hike as I went up the second hill and I took inventory of what I had. I I had $14 which was good at least I had some money But I also had no phone no wallet nothing else But I decided that’s fine at least I had money I have some money for water or a snack once I even if I turn it into a far far far far reaching hike which which who knows $14 should be good for a half day hike. I passed the new houses up on Lauren Street and I was surprised at how many had almost all their lights on at that time in the morning a few more hills and I could see the three sisters. At that time I decided I would go hike to one of the three sisters One of the sisters is called Flat Top the highest hill in this part of the town there’s two other hills that’s why they call it the Three Sisters I believe flat Top has been artificially made flat by somebody somebody went up there with a tractor and made it completely flat is my belief. sound of dogs barking was was pretty good As I walk through this area everyone’s got dogs because they’re afraid Afraid you know being they live kind of Indiana a rural area so they figure if they have dogs they will they will be safe I started the first hill up to the three sisters. This was a pretty good incline probably 30 degree 30 degree climb and right about then I started to really sweat and I thought OK let’s take my shirt off here in a pretty bit. But then up in the hills here a chill came over me from the microclimate hidden in these little valleys and the hills and so I didn’t have to take my shirt off felt like suddenly it turned like 40 degrees which was nice I finished up the hill and headed towards the S of the Three Sisters or no let’s say the E SE of the Three Sisters Got to the got to the top with some hill climbing and crouching. I slowed down my pace and kind of walked in circles waiting for the sun to come up.
Finally the sun peeked up and ready or not the world awoke. I could see my shadow far across the hills. At that moment for some reason I just felt emotional. I just thought you know look I’m making a little imprint on the world There’s my shad A little imprint that I’m making. Sometimes you don’t feel like you’re making much of a difference in the world whether it’s your friends or your family or your kids or your peers. but there was there was my shadow and I am and I exist And just like everyone else I made my little impact so be positive get your head out of your **** and **** **** with this hike. With that I started down the hill. Far E there’s a mountain range I don’t know what exactly it’s called but it was completely lit up by the sunrise picture perfect. It made it worth hurrying up and seeing the sunrise at the top of the hill.
So I’m 55 years old I think I do pretty good and I hike pretty good but I do have some limits that I that I’m nearing as my body ages. I’m not too happy about it but it happens. Sometimes when I go on these hikes I think when I’m going to get when I get back am I going to be able to walk without I think I’m going to end up spraining or pulling some tendon that has been abused long ago in my youth. But you know if I don’t go on these hikes it’s going It’s going to be more pain I know that if I don’t keep myself in shape and keep myself somewhere near my optimum 30 year old body mass index then I’m in for more pain. I walk with combat boots which give me ankle support and prevent ankles ankle pain during and after the hike I’m able to walk fast and run slowly with the combat boots and through some housing tracks a runner passes me. He motivates me and I take some deep breaths and run for a while period. This is the Lost Angel brand vaporizer The model is sphere 35K and the exact flavor is sour apple ice. This is the empty vaporizer I found on the side of the road This one has a LED display and it has a USB USB I think they call it USB dash C charging port. It is non refillable that I see Of course the people who sell these want you to just buy more and more of them It is designed to be throwaway but yet cannot be thrown away because it has a lithium ion battery. Further in the hike I’ll find another one similar with a proprietary charging port and less graphics and. I see these and I see empty cigarette cartoons. I pick up a woman’s eyelash curve curving device I don’t keep it I leave it somewhere I’m a little farther into the hills but still on a road where people drive and I take my shirt off as the sun comes up. I notice when my shirt is off a few people honk at me that don’t honk at me otherwise. I don’t know what their message is maybe it’s they’re attracted to my muscular body which is not all that muscular Or maybe they think I shouldn’t walk around with the shirt off my shirt off. Who knows I remember 20 years ago I did that and someone did actually yell out the window at me and told me to put my shirt back on So I think sometimes they’re honking because they don’t want they want to try to tell me that they really don’t want to see my body. I mean come on really I mean what’s the big deal I’m not that unattractive. I mean I whatever just real seriously just whatever.
I’m near Lake Matthews now probably on mile 5 and I’m passing the nature preserve. I see a gate that locked but never opened My my guess anyway because their lock is so rusty that looks like no one’s touched it in years. On this very street right here which is Cajalco Road many many years ago me and my kids witnessed a bunch of frogs running across the road to the S many of them being hit by cars a lot of them were very small frogs We got out of our car and helped them across the road the ones we could help I’m not sure why they were trying to cross the road but it was just a mass migration of frogs trying to go across that road. I’m hoping there are still frogs there and they still do that although every year that road becomes more and more busy It would be nice if they had to help the frogs cross the road.
I come to an end of the trail or an end that I think is a good place to turn around and go back on my loop of the hike going back home If I were to continue forward on this street Cahalco Road I would I would come to a place where you are near Lake Matthews I think it was only two and a half years ago now that I was riding my bicycle there I pulled my bicycle off into the weeds went over to the fence between Lake Matthews found a big hole in the fence I walked into it through the fence left my bike there. then I walked towards Lake Matthews jumped in the water and swam around. Now somewhere in the rule books in the US code and in the federal law that is illegal and I know it is and I don’t care. I didn’t hurt anybody and no one hurt me I didn’t pee in the lake and I didn’t poop in the lake. Lake Matthews is a drinking reservoir so they don’t want people going in there and fishing or doing anything but many times of the year you’ll see if not hundreds thousands of different types of birds sitting in the lake taking a **** so the water gets lots of **** and pee anyway. So II think they should allow some limited human activity if you ask me II don’t I don’t get why you can’t make the leg completely why you have to have the lake completely fenced off.
I’m heading home now and I’m can smell the alfalf at the Lake Matthews feed store. I don’t know exactly what the alfalfa smell is but it’s nice. I paused for half a minute and take a good good couple sniffs then a few more 100 feet to Lake Matthews General Store where I go in and take a look at their breakfast items. Coffee here is only caffeinated and in a big $2 cup so I pass on that. I could not pass the egg and sausage burrito for $4.65 made here in the store I think. The Burrito cannot escape me I buy it and a big apple knowing that I should have bought water I continue anyway thinking I think I could do it without water which is I don’t know why think like that I have money in my pocket just by the water. So I go a couple miles E I pass a guy on the side of the road in a car. He acknowledges me and then after I walked a couple hundred feet past him he gets out of the car and offers me water. The bottle he gives me has a has no top and looks like he may have drank some of it but I take it anyway and I drink it anyway. The side of the road is great for walking or running but not bad either Further down I smell the pine trees from the pine tree farm and also some neighbors who have lots of pine trees But in my hurry I don’t stop and smell the roses or smell the pine for this occasion. On the S end of Wood Road I’m surprised that the store is now open and so I go in and get a drink of water in a small decaffeinated coffee. Why little stores like this can’t have at least one set of benches outside is beyond me. If I was the owner of this company I would I would put a little bench and then I’d also promote the store as a place that you could stop and get a drink of water while you’re on a hike and try to promote physical fitness that way. You make one of those benches where it’s difficult to sleep on but at least it’s something to sit on Yes you’re going to have some homeless people sit there for a few hours but who gives a **** while somebody gives a **** because that’s not what they like to do they don’t like to put any benches. Where I live sometimes in Mojave there is a gas station that has three nice big picnic tables in front of their gas station. Completely awesome Gas station. I need to promote that gas station more make sure they get as much business as possible I love those guys. It’s off the 58 and it’s easy something gas station. It’s West of the Loves Truck stop and it is a full on truck stop so you’ll see a bunch of diesel trucks there. They have showers for 15 or is it $12 I think it’s $12 and they’re pretty good pretty good showers now the Loves Truck Stop has better showers for $20. But I really really couldn’t decide which one I would choose if they were right next to each other. The stingy person in me would go with the $12 hour Someone called me stingy the other day too I was like what i’m not stingy I guess I am stingy. Ah but the the calm relaxing side of Maine would go for the $20 shower at Love’s truck stop which has a way better blast of hot water. If you’re reading this and you’re a young person take note of this. Take note of that RV truck stops have showers you could pay for because if you’re traveling and you’re with someone that you like to get intimate with it’s a pretty good bang for the buck and I’m talking Bang Bang for the buck. Meaning you could get intimate with your partner in the RV shower and they don’t time you you could be in there two hours and have a great little time get all cleaned up and then hit the road again. All my body function still works that may I may part I may enjoy that activity too But I’m just saying if you’re young and with a you should really stop and pay the $20.
So I start heading home and now I only have about two miles left up wood road. My step counter shows about 18,000 steps on the hike. I’d about 20 minutes before I had ate some eggs and sausage and fruit and anyway I think blood flow to my stomach was causing me to be a little less energetic. So I Yeah so around that point I kind of started really getting low on energy a little bit not faint but just just completely exhausted to where I really didn’t want to walk at all. So I took a small break right there like just a few minutes drink more water Then I kept heading about an hour later not even an hour like 30 minutes later umm I only have like a mile left at this point my foot really starts hurting. I mean II it just hurts really bad like so I have to stop and take a break and sit down SI sat down took my shoes off you know 10 minutes later I was good to go kept you know headed home from there to home they’re doing construction and there were construction crews and you have the guys that hold up the signs that just have their boring job of directing traffic right? So I talked to these guys that are just directing traffic and there’s really no traffic they’re doing nothing so they’re bored so why not talk to them so anyway I chit chatted with two different people just chit chatted about things It’s it’s it’s a bit like having a person you’re talking to who’s trapped right they they can do anything it’s like they’re kind of forced to sit there and listen to you because II don’t know there’s a there’s a word for that. There’s a saying basically describing a person you’re having a conversation with kind of has no choice in the matter except listen or be really rude and ignore And no one wants to be really rude so they just kind of listen and chat right So anyway that was my social part of my hike. I talked to those two guys And you know I’m always trying to improve things so I’m just sitting here thinking how could I have had a better conversation with those guys? I think next time I should ask them like you know how they’re doing like how do you like this job you know I mean if they’re stuck there and they’re listening to me it might be better if they’re talking about their own problems so I should ask them. I don’t know what do you think? I believe you could leave comments in this if you want so you could leave some comments on what you think I should do or shouldn’t do. other than that this work is copyrighted and and I just have to put that message in there so that the robots do not copy this text and use it for their profit and gain. Any use of this could result in any unauthorized use of this story or text could result in litigation. Litigation meaning I join a small court case against your company for stealing my story. So anyway a few sentences about that and then I’ll put another sentence about it at the very end Hopefully the robots will pick that up and not use this story as part of their business. Meaning I don’t want this story to be used for profit by someone else because it’s copyrighted again another sentence about this is copyrighted work.
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