There are apps for a lot of things people can use to complicate – or improve their lives. Want Taco Bell delivered to your door? Use GrubHub. Which begs the question about why you want potentially lukewarm fast food delivered to you and pay an extra delivery fee for that privilege (which is none of my business). Want to use instant messaging? There are countless apps for that. Want to check the weather? Yup, there’s an app for that too! Want to have a horny person show up at your door to have sex with you? Yes, there are apps for that, too!
Quagmire on Family Guy gets a bit carried away with the Tinder app…
You know what app I really want? An app that tells me specifically what type of outfit I need to wear in the outdoor conditions I’m going to be enduring so that I’m neither too cold – nor too warm. Will I need a hat/gloves? The app would be able to tell me. The app is not going to “know” about whether ground conditions will be muddy or not, so I’ll have to make my best guess with footwear. I would much rather be a tad too chilly and just kick up the movement a bit to compensate, but if I’m too warm, there is not much I can do except take something off (which is not always convenient…or possible). I’ve taken shirts off on hot weather hikes before (only if I’m wearing a sports bra and there’s no one else around (hey Brandi Chastain did it and everyone got to see it)! And really…why should guys – and womens’ World Cup winners – have all of the fun?
This is kind of how I feel after completing some tough hikes – though I would never subject my poor, poor knees to this torture!
Usually I’m pretty good at putting together a “layering” system in cooler temps, but Saturday, I wound up having to carry a fleece jacket on my ENTIRE HIKE! I was bamboozled by the weather. Snow flurries and some moderate winds at the start of our hike fooled me into thinking temps would be cooler on our hike than I thought, so I hastily added a fleece jacket to my “layered ensemble” underneath (long sleeve long john shirt, long sleeve fleece shirt, lightweight vest). Within minutes, I’d taken off that jacket and had no choice but to carry it with me (thankfully it was light). Still annoying! I would have gotten too warm had I worn it tied around my waist.
A glimpse at my “layering” system in Saturday’s hike
It would be a complicated app, to be sure! You’d have to put in the location/time of your hike (the app would automatically calibrate for temperatures, wind chills, humidity, precipitation), the app would have to “know” your levels of cold/heat tolerance, the intensity level of the exercise you’ll be undertaking, etc. Had I just trusted my initial instincts about what to wear, I would’ve been…just fine! It was that blasted snow that fooled me into thinking it would be colder than it was (thankfully the winds and flurries were very brief).
As for the hike itself, it was somewhere between five and six miles in total length (I’ve seen multiple distance estimates online of that hike), and it took 2.5 hours. The muddy/icy conditions – and the hikers being on the (ahem)…older side – slowed us down a bit! We also took quite a few breaks – stopped to take pictures, etc.
Penosha is outlined in red dashes. The trails that look like they were designed by a schizophrenic person are mountain biking trails (this park is very popular with mountain bikers). Hikers and mountain bikers do not have to share trail space in this park, which is good!
The hike’s location was Brighton Recreation Area near Brighton, MI and we hiked the “Penosha” trail. This was the first time we’d hiked this whole trail in probably about 10 years. The last time we’d hiked the whole trail was when we rented a cabin and shared it with some neighbors who were a few years younger than us. Those feisty “kids” kind of pushed us older folks down the trail more than we were comfortable with. But after we’d finished the hike, THEY were the ones who were out cold in their bunks – and my husband and I started to drink some beers and hang outside by the lake! Now that I’m 10 years older…let’s just say I “felt” that hike afterwards! It was… just what I needed.
I’ve never been the fastest person at climbing hills, whether that be on a bike or hauling my own ass up a hill! Put me on a smooth route of all flat terrain, and I’m Speedy Gonzales – but have me hike up a hill, and I’m more of a…Slowpoke Rodriguez. I’m still going to be trying to incorporate more “hills” into my walks, which will be great for getting my quads into much better shape (and improving my overall endurance). Slow and steady wins the race? The old ski pole a friend gave me years ago was an essential piece of equipment on Saturday’s hike! Now for some pictures from the hike…
hebspeaks 