Ten Miles…Again

Our third hike this spring of the Hiking Merit Badge was yesterday. Delaney and I got up early, packed and headed out. It was easier to pack, since Delaney knows to get himself ready and put water, snacks, etc. in a pack. I asked him about breakfast, and he asked for Subway, so we made it a Subway day, grabbing 2 for 1 breakfast sandwiches and a foot long to split on the way to Dawson Butte.

It was chilly, having rained at night with some snow falling. I was worried as I was supposed to have a 4pm baseball game and trying to get 10 miles in starting at 10am, get Delaney home, and then get out to the field was tight. Fortunately I got a text halfway through the hike that the game was cancelled due to rain on the field, so I could relax.

We gathered in the parking lot, all 16 of us for the first 5 mile loop. Three dogs came along, though the others didn’t get along with Deuce, so we kept him separated.

We started out at 10, heading down the trail. It was cold and windy at first, until we crossed the first field and got into the trees. Delaney had Deuce, walking near the front with a few other Scouts.

We walked about 2.5 miles, then a short break. Since I was thinking I had baseball, I was pressing to start again after 10 minutes. I also know that on these hikes momentum is important. If you sit too long, it’s hard to get started.

Delaney and I finished the first 5 mile loop with 4 other boys and started to eat. Others came along shortly, and after about 30 minutes, we started again. This time Delaney set the pace out front with 2 other boys, pressing hard. According to my phone, we were 4.5-5mph most of the first few miles. We paused at 2.5 miles again, with stragglers taking about 10 minutes to catch up. We were itching to get done, and as soon as the last people caught up, we moved on.

 

The last mile or so was hard, being uphill and us being tired. I could feel my feet aching slightly and had to just keep putting one foot in front of the other. It make me realize that Delaney and I need to keep doing more training this summer if we want to complete the 20 mile hike in August. I also think we need to pick a route where we won’t have people dropping out and impacting others.

I had some good chats with Delaney and a couple boys, but mostly tried to give them some privacy and let them be teenagers. I was proud to see them pressing to get done quickly and not straggling along.

After the hike we headed out, stopping for pizza together.

We skipped volleyball last night, tired after the hike. However Delaney and I did help Tia feed. Hopefully I didn’t take too much out of him as he was sick this am.