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The night before the second week of my grand canyon training I slept only 3 hours. Insomnia is rare for me (if it’s rare, is it actually insomnia or just a bad night’s sleep??). Not being able to sleep leaves me feeling desperate. I remember a few months ago after a couple of nights of little-to-zero sleep I seriously worried about the possibility that I’d forgotten how to sleep. As if it was something I’d practiced all these years like dance steps, but now I didn’t know the next move. Friday night felt a bit like that.
I got up when my alarm went off though I’d been awake for hours. I got dressed, I ate something and I started to make my way out the door to go meet my teammates about an hour away for hike #2. But I was exhausted and hesitant. I worried that I’d be too tired to keep up with everyone. or too tired to be friendly. or too tired to walk all the way down to my car.
So I went back to bed.
And about an hour or two later (after actually falling asleep for a bit!) I tried again. This time I headed over the Harms Woods to do the 3 miles hike myself. There’s a nice big map just next to the parking lot with the mileage mapped out. It was a gorgeous morning despite the frigid air. I’d dressed less warmly this week in hopes of avoiding the overheating incident of last week. It worked! Here’s a bit of what I saw:
The snow was deep and the trails an uneven mix of other people’s footprints and ski tracks. I wished I’d had snowshoes to keep me from constantly slipping a little deeper with each step.
Fire hydrants in the woods Ugly or handy?
I met this man on the path. As we passed each other he held out his hand for a high-five…and I gave him one. He called out, “We’re doing great!” a moment later. People like other people who are out walking in the cold. We are on the same team. Team tough guys.
Through the magic of film I was able to convey how steep the climb over this bridge isn’t. It’s actually not so bad. But I’m going for drama here, friends, I want to impress you with my training experiences. are you not impressed?
One day soon these trees will be covered in green. But for now they do well in pointing out how blue the sky is.
As for my trouble sleeping, Saturday night passed without my waking for several hours. I am hopeful that next weekend I’ll be back with my hiking peeps.
Love and zzzzzzzz’s
Erin
