Wouldn’t you know it that on Saturday, I fell on a trail run and the brunt of my weight ricocheted to my bad shoulder, which I’d just had physio on the night before. It’s funny how when things like that happen you are paralyzed with pain while the nerve receptors in the body do their thing–and the next minute you are up running again. Despite that fall, Saturday was the perfect day. Too early to say “spring” yet, the reminders were all there: sunshine, new buds on a few trees, and the feeling that warmer weather is just around the corner.
On Saturday morning, we had a rare breakfast out at D-Dutch (I ate a half bowl of oatmeal, no sugar, with bananas and pecans). Then we went to Cascade Falls, just to see it. This little forested gem is near Mission and is not quite half a kilometer all uphill (40 meters) from a logging road parking area.
It was a nice little hike with that wonderful view at the end. A small suspension bridge, which didn’t seem to sway at all, has a great lookout area. On the other end is a rainforest canyon, to which Cascade Creek rumbles, forming into green tranquil pools at the bottom.
We then went back west toward Maple Ridge, where we ran along the trails of Kanaka Creek.
The Kanaka Creek area has a salmon hatchery (Irving-Bell), but it was closed that day. I’d been there before with my friend Lauren and remembered that there was a guy working on my prior visit who was very knowledgeable about salmon, which course through the creek during salmon run season. This run was a short one: only 30 minutes. It’s “recovery week” in the 10K training. I have 4 weeks to go. There’s also some elevation at Kanaka, 30 meters (97 feet). Doesn’t seem like a lot, but I had to walk a couple times. After the run, we still had some hiking to do to get back to the parking lot.
I commented to my husband on the way home how nice this day hike/run was. It often gets blah-sy during the week with full-time work and errands after work, to the point that we sometimes don’t see the light of day except in the early morning. Not to mention the pretty constant aching of my shoulder and back, which I’m trying to get over. I found some new yoga exercises that I’ll be able to do when my shoulder heals–they are for building up your core. For now I get my mat out once a week and do non-shoulder-involved yoga (at least no positions that would further hurt the shoulder).
Saturday evening was spent with a nice Finca Malbec and a two-hour-long conversation with Mom, who was telling me some really interesting stories of her growing up in Kentucky. I love talking with my mom–she is truly one of a kind.