What a nice hike!

 

Another great hike in the books!

The two images above show how different devices record one's hiking or trekking. My MapMyWalk app said we did 8.6 miles, Candace's Google Pixel watch recorded 9.35 miles.

Who cares? It was a nice long walk/hike. 

The morning started out very foggy. I mean fog like pea soup fog! It had rained off and on all day for Saturday so I expected we'd find some soggy places.

After meeting in the parking lot, we set off. Our shoes instantly got soaked with the wet grass and we jumped or stepped over muddy puddles. I quipped that it looked like we'd get wet feet right away. And we did.

That did not dampen Candace's or her daughter's spirit. They were excited and happy to explore trails on a foggy wet morning. 

I asked her to tell me more about herself. We often meet up at the gym and have short conversations about work outs or other subjects. But a long walk is a great way to learn about someone else. 

I learned a lot about Candace and her daughter on our walk. 

Our feet got wet a few times. We were able to avoid the standing water on low spots and other times we couldn't. So we'd get wet feet and then they'd dry out again, only to get wet again. Shoes and feet wash!

The bugs actually were not as bad as I thought they might be, but bug spray was used especially while walking in the low areas next to the Kickapoo River.

The sun came out just before we were midway through our hike. The woods and nature were amazing and beautiful. 

Below---> Candace and her daughter.

We stopped around 7 miles where we found a flush of oyster mushrooms and several other tiny mushrooms growing along the trail. We peered at beautiful mosses and scenery while we had a short snack break.

When we got back to the parking lot, Candace asked if they could go again. Sure! I asked her if she wanted to do a hard hike. I had planned on my next one being a more technically difficult hike around Hanson's Rock. It involves steep hills and some careful foot placement around rocks and roots.

She and her daughter said they'd love the challenge.

During the hike, I only took my camera out twice. I didn't think of taking photos of the trail or of us. I didn't do selfies. I just enjoyed the company of others who walked with me.

What a perfect morning.

These times...

 

On Monday we had our updated Covid-19 boosters. And other than a slight ache at the injection sight we've had no ill side effects. That was actually a pretty nice surprise.

Tuesday was my 'hike or ride with Olive' day. Olive had texted me Monday evening to let me know she had found the Mother Lode of cool fungi in a forest that her husband's family owns. We decided to go at 10 AM because the heat on Tuesday afternoon was to be fierce.

She had found the Mother Lode!

Shrimp of the Woods was everywhere! She picked, and I photographed. We poured out gobs of sweat and hiked ...and brush busted through the woods getting full of stick tights and all sorts of nasty little burrs. We laughed and exclaimed how fun it was to find someone else as adventurous as we two were.

Apparently her husband is not into diving through the underbrush just to find dried up old mushrooms and exclaim OHHH! AHHH! Or to grab fungi from the dirt and marvel at their beauty. [However, he will eat what she cooks!]

I learned that Olive was indeed the adventurous type. After college, she took a year and went to New Zealand to hike a 2,000 mile trail. She said it was an epic adventure and she learned by trial and error about back packing. She learned about blisters, heat rash, and dealing with forces of nature.

I told her I was jealous, but admired her.

The arrow points to some oyster mushrooms she had 'seeded' with a slurry from other oyster mushrooms she'd picked. It worked!

We hiked and explored for about 2 hours before we hopped back into her beat up Subaru and headed home. We traveled both times with the windows down as her A/C hadn't worked since she'd beat up her car when she did a short stint as a Rural Postal Carrier. 

I'd taken a lot of photos and we'd covered a lot of ground. 

We both thought it would be fun to come back after the snow fell and snowshoe through the woods.

She dropped me off.

Two hours later she texted me with an urgent message. Her parents had Covid they'd been at their house on Saturday. She had been exposed but presented with no symptoms.

Well now. 

I'm wearing a mask in the house and doing all I can to keep separate from hubby.

This morning I received an update. Olive had to take her son to the ER last night and he tested negative, but has a full blown ear infection, teething, and a cold.

Her husband is negative too. So now we just wait and see while still practicing all the cautions I can...

Ever drink coffee with a straw? 

Interesting.