Sounds like a funny title, I know, but it'll make sense in a moment. I had the most AMAZING day!!!! One in a million.
First, we got up about 5 am, got out early, and went for a drive in a nearby rural area. There, we saw a group of spring caribou. The caribou were mostly white, as you'd expect this time of year. The sun was just rising, the ground wreathed in early morning fog. We got within 30 feet of the group and I have some FABULOUS photos. We saw sand hill cranes in full mating dance (more photos). They're gorgeous!!
Then we ate b'fast - and I had a healthy egg beater omelette with vegetables, salsa, and fresh fruit. Oh - and a bagel. As a rule I don't eat them, but you'll see why I did today. Since this is 3FC I thought I should note that I made a healthy choice.
We stopped at a grocery - I picked up a footlong wrapped sub to share later, string cheese, and I had trio fruit and nut bars. And lots of water.
And then, we went for a hike on the Resurrection Trail. It was fabulous. It was sunny. It was warm - 70 plus degrees. It is, as you might expect in Alaska, mountainous with rivers, a gorge, some snow on the high parts, and breathtaking scenery at every step. We, all of us, hiked 4.5 tough miles in, had lunch, and 4.5 miles back. I was carrying a 30-lb pack. It took us 5.5 hours, including the stop for lunch.
And the only part of me that hurt at the end of the day was my heels, which took some wear and tear in my boots. My legs? Fine. My shoulders? Great. Breath? Not a problem, baby. WOW!!!! Yippee, yahoo, can you sing me hallelujah????
And just to make my day a little better, the Daily Plate thinks that the calorie burn was 4200 calories.
I love to hike. I love Alaska. And I love the rare, wonderful, spectacular day where things just go right.
My kids are 9 and 12, and they were AMAZING on the trail today. Whoda thunk it? They hiked, didn't whine, enjoyed the trail, and then came home to play basketball and run around playing with the dogs. Where do they get the energy????
I hope you'll forgive what is half ramble and half rapture... but the reason I posted it was because all of my hard work these many months really came home to roost today. I cannot believe I was able to do this so well and enjoy it the entire time. Remarkable, and certainly appropriate to the post title.
Resurrection
