PLANNING FOR THE WEEKEND

19 mile mark

This is a sample of what I might have passed had I been literally walking the trail. I have hiked 21 miles thus far. This sight is very similar to my backyard. The walk is uneven and would be slow going. the advantage to the virtual walk is no danger of ticks (which are really thick this year) or snakes, such as copperheads, blending in with the debris of the forest floor. 

I did not walk as much this week as I'd planned. I spent the storm-free days trying to get as much done on the computer as possible. Dry days, my sinus' gave me hardship as the storm front moved in. Then there were the storms themselves.

I hope to be more focused about being on the treadmill this week. 

Unlike most of you, I will not be tempted by the backyard BBQ and all the food associated with the 4th of July weekend. Bob is on the boat and I will spend the 4th inside watching the fireworks from New York. There may be BBQ wings or a pulled pork salad in there somewhere. 

However you celebrate this weekend, remember that YOU are in CONTROL. Enjoy the foods and beverages you enjoy in moderation. Enjoy your family, friends and the taste of the food. Listen to your body and stop when tummy tells you enough. And if you do over-indulge, DO NOT beat yourself over the pleasure. Accept the move for what it was and start fresh on Tuesday.  But most important of all....

Enjoy the Journey!

BACK TO BUSINESS!

Man, being back to work is such an awesome experience. I truly am a workaholic and am a much happier person when I'm DOING something. I can not sit idle. Being inactive makes me want to just sit around all day... even nap. 

When Bob is gone, I hit the floor running in the morning. I pause to put a load of clothes in the washer as I come out of the bathroom, make my coffee and jump right into business. I keep rolling from there. Sometimes there is an afternoon nap in my future. I've attributed that to days when I normally am not drinking enough so I try to remedy that the next day.

A scrapbooking friend of mine uses a website called 'Walking4Fun' to track her daily steps. The various virtual trails on the website encourage you to get your steps in so you can move on to a new trail.

Since this year marks the 100th Anniversary of our National Park system, I thought this would be a great time to join this 'virtual' adventure.

I've always wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail (National Park Service Link) and the Ozark Trail. Backpacker.com has some excellent information for a real-time hike. I signed up today and am beginning my step counting with the Appalachian Trail. In reality, the trail is 2,202 miles long from Atlanta GA to central Maine. My body would never be able to hike this trail in real life but I can look for things via the internet along the way. 

This LINK will take you to a map of the trail with potential spots to check out along the way. Today, I will hop on the treadmill and begin just north of Atlanta at Amicalola State Park at  Springer Mtn. I'll try to include pictures or tidbits of the area along my journey. 

Whether you just to do a virtual hike, or hit the trails in real time, I encourage you to join me at Walking4Fun.

Enjoy the Journey!

Kelly

189/189/150