[at-l] Took a Walk Today

[jbullar1 at twcny.rr.com (Jim Bullard)]

After doing house husband stuff all morning the sunshine got to me so I 
took a short hike on Azure Mt. which is about 30 miles from my house. I go 
there several times each year. It's a short hike, a bit over a mile, but 
the mile part is a pretty stiff climb straight up the mountain. I was 
pleased to find that I was stronger and more agile than last year (exercise 
regime is paying off) but somewhat dismayed that my wind hasn't improved. 
That mile took me about 40 minutes. In my defense not all my breaks were to 
catch my breath. I took 37 photos on the way up. That had to take a least 
10 of the 40 minutes since many were close-ups of flowers, kneeling or 
lying on the ground. The black flies were thick and annoying but I've seen 
worse and once I got to the summit the wind kept them away. The view was 
great and I managed to catch one of the hawks soaring in a couple of 
photos. I planned to stay longer but after 30 minutes some rapidly 
approaching dark clouds told me that the rain predicted for late evening 
was arriving early. I hadn't come prepared for rain so I headed back down. 
The sprinkles started just before I got back to my truck but the rain held 
off until I was on my way home. I think I'll try to do that 2-3 times/week 
for a while to improve my wind.