Hiking

I’ve been pining for a good hike and to get back to some of our favorite trails. Yesterday, instead of walking up the mountainous 147 foot McIntyre Ski Resort, I chose the closest place with a “Mt.” surname: Mt. Uncanoonuc with its vast vertical of 600′. It’s only 20 minutes away in Goffstown, has a road to the top, lots of cell phone towers at the summit, and barely any views. But it has a rich history, and it was the perfect opportunity for me to test my progress.

I didn’t make it to the summit.  I only made it about 200 vertical feet. My thighs were not having it. I turned around like any sane person should when it stopped being fun and the trail was still never-ending telephone poles. It was also buggy and muggy; not ideal conditions for a fun hike.

Instead of fully giving up on my hiking day, I decided to go back to McIntyre and do the familiar routes and work the thighs even more. On these hills, I was much more successful. My engineering mind says that the main difference was the incline – the Mt. Uncanoonuc trail had a much steeper incline which used my quads, glutes, and thighs in a slightly different manner than my usual routes around McIntyre. It’s only been 9 weeks since my transplant, and I keep reminding myself what the surgeons remind me: it will take a year or more to be fully healed. In that respect, I feel awesome and am not surprised that I struggle a bit hiking up mountains.