Friday: Drove 4 hours to Salida for camping. I was pretty tired once I arrived in Salida so I walked Charlie, my neighbor's dog who I was watching for the weekend. We hung out for a little while & climbed into the tent for a mountain air night's sleep. I need to get a better tent situation going for myself. I need a good, thick ThermaRest for my back. I wake up exhauted!
Saturday: We woke up and I had to leave pretty early because I had to work at my restaurant job on Saturday night. I took Charlie for a 2 mile hike hoping to wear him out for a long drive back to Durango. I was hoping this would bring me some mental clarity as well. I become very anxious driving for a long time. I find myself wanting to be out of the car doing anything - running, hiking, cycling. Charlie is HIGH intensity! He loves all outdoor activities and will stare at me endlessly if we are inside for a long time. We arrived back into Durango around 1pm. I took a quick nap and drove to work. By this time, I am craving some good outdoor activities. From being in the car 8 hours in two days and work - I could really use some quality mountain time.
Sunday: Charlie and I walked and played fetch in the river for about an hour. I felt too bad to leave him alone again after Saturday night, so I took him to my Sunday morning job, which is working at the Welcome Center for Fort Lewis College. We got up and walked around the town each hour I was working to keep Charlie happy. (If you haven't already realized, I truly love and care about dogs well being!) Free pet sitting for awesome dogs possible. Finally, 2pm crept up slowly and we were headed to Dry Fork Loop for a trail run/hike!
Dry Fork Fun
I took the picture in this post in Dry Fork parking lot. I wish I took my phone with me to take pictures of this trail because it is FANTASTIC! There are true single track trails, where there is only room for a bike or one foot directly in front of the other. This makes me a very happy runner. It feels awesome to be the only one in the forest and feel the cool shade from the trees. The only sounds are the breeze, my feet hitting the soft trail, and Charlie's dog tag tapping against his collar as he runs. We ran about 5 miles and hiked 2 miles in a rougher rock section. Next time, I will take my phone to take pictures of all this beauty. I will also take water and a snack. I find that I get hungry way more quickly on the trails! I planned to only run about 3 miles so I didn't take any water. Once I started running, I was mesmerized by the trails winding switchbacks and soft terrain so I kept going. There were streams for Charlie to drink from on the way. I was so happy to be free from work and free from driving. Plus, it was Independence Day weekend therefore I had to celebrate all my freedoms, right?
After the trails, I bathed Charlie. A well deserved bath for this pup.
Every time I trail run I find myself wanting to run more and more. I hope this feeling never escapes me. I am going to make it a point to run trails more often. It improves my mental clarity and my stability as I quickly and carefully descend a rocky path. When I run back into the parking lot and back to my car, I feel independent. I feel that I can take on anything handed to me. My mind is uncluttered.
Hit the trails, you won't regret it.
Be prepared: Take a hydration pack or belt. Bring a snack. Bring water for your pup!
Muddy trails & tails,
Whitney
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