altitude training

my man and i got away for a few days to the west coast. while there, we hiked for two days at yosemite national park. one of my favorite places - ever.

we hiked 8 easy miles the first day. revisited mirror lake. it was nice to see some snow this time.

we had hiked the difficult mist trail before so this time we needed another challenging hike for kicks. the second day, we hiked another 8 miles, on a very strenuous trail to the top of upper yosemite falls. chock full of switch backs and rocky paths covered in snow the last third of the way up.


this was taken at the half way up point. this is where the top falls meets up with the bottom falls. we could feel the mist from this part of the falls on the way down.

it was the hardest hike we've ever done. and worth every single challenging step. the view was amazing; breathtaking.

this was about 2/3 of the way up. next time, i am determined to tackle half dome. my eyes were just drawn to that spot and i kept thinking of what it would be like to be up there.

the last half mile to mile of the hike was in 3 to 4 feet packed down snow. we didn't have boots, but if i did, i would have stayed in this area and played. :) it was a winter wonderland. and yes, it was almost 60 degrees (but cool breezes). the weather was perfect and my coat was only needed at certain points on the hike.

here we are at the top. almost 7000 ft. elevation. my man kept kidding with me that i was getting the elevation training i wanted. ;) just over that edge is a very skinny passage way down to an incredible view of where the fall starts. i may add that video next time.

after yosemite, we then went to the san francisco area. two days, i got to run along the water with a friend for a 3 and 4 mile run. the views there are something i hope no san fran native ever takes advantage of. just beautiful. and even better, i had a running partner! that's a rare thing, so i treasured it.  now we are back home, and i'm sick with a nasty head cold and chest cough. so hoping a few days off will help and i can get back on track before too long.