Day 2 - Windy Hill

Today's hike:  Windy Hill Open Space Preserve - Spring Ridge Trail

Length: 6.8 miles

Elevation gain: 1,390'

Thoughts:  Holy shit, I'm exhausted!

So my to-do list is off to a pretty good start:

Sleep in?  Check!

Avoid checking email compulsively all day?  Check!

Get a long hike in?  Check!

Take an afternoon nap?  Check!

Don't shower until late afternoon?  Check!

Enjoy some wine mid-week because you earned it?  Check!

Yeah, this definitely does not suck.

Today's training hike took me to Windy Hill Open Space Preserve near Portola Valley.  I've done this one before, and it is just like I remembered.  Steep, and it kicks my ass every time.  Today it was a good reminder of exactly how far I have to go before I'm ready for this trip, because the ass-kicking was a worse than ever before.  But the views from the top are incredible - 360 degrees of the bay and the Pacific.  It makes the pain worth it.  I usually see deer and lots of other wildlife here but today I got a special treat: a fox!  Unfortunately he sauntered behind a bush before I could whip out the camera.  Here are some pics from the hike (click on the pic for a larger view):

See those 2 mounds next to each other at the top?  I'm heading for the one on the right.

   

View from the top towards the Pacific:

These 3 shots are a panorama of the Bay:

Poor air quality today.  Spare the Air day tomorrow!  It's also going to be a day off hiking for me, since I've logged about 17 miles over the past 3 days.  We'll see if I've got the fortitude for some strength training at the gym tomorrow.