I've been pretty dedicated to getting out every day, rain or shine, and in January on the Olympic Peninsula, it's a lot of rain. When I look back at the journal where I'm recording my daily walks and mileage, there are quite a few days where we got out between showers, mostly wearing a rain coat, a hoodie, and a hat - I like to be able to see where I'm going, and I need all of those to keep the hood up high enough for good vision! It's also been very chilly. The humidities have been high, low 80/high 70 percentages, and that means temps in the low 40F can be chilling; it's cold. Most of the walks I've taken have been in the neighborhood, leaving from the house, but on Saturday the 11th, we decided walk a section of the Olympic Discovery Trail east of Sequim from Robin Hill Farm to the Railroad Bridge Park and back. This is a section of the trail W and I have walked a few times, and we've ridden it on our tandem, too. I mentally divide the trail into three sections, mostly because there are points where we cross the road. The wind was pretty darn cold, and as we walked east, it seemed as though the trail kept going, and going, and going. My intention had been to walk about a total of four miles, which is a little more than the usual. In the end, by the time we made it to the bridge, we had walked a little over three and a half miles. To say I wasn't looking forward to the walk back to the truck would be an understatement. But the snacks were there, and after a bit of a slowdown in the middle, we made it back - 7.43 miles. Not what I expected to do at all!
The Dungeness River at the Railroad Park Bridge
AND THEN WINTER HAPPENED....
The north Olympic Peninsula is known for the rain, and we just expect that in the winter. Rain gear is common, and using an umbrella might just brand you as a visitor. However, we got nailed by winter, and ended up with 23 inches of snow - and I live near the water, so that is unusual! I made it out one night, on a self-proclaimed rest day, but when I realized it was starting to snow, I headed out the door. I was very focused on getting a mile in, and it was cold, dark, and windy, and as I was checking MapMyWalk for mileage, I suddenly found myself flying through the air and landing with a thud on someone's lawn. I had walked into the curb, and crashed. After picking up my scattered belongings, and ascertaining that nobody saw me, I hurried home to get my knee fixed up. I was very happy to see that both pair of tights were not torn. I did feel kind of dumb, though, and I know that walking and using a phone are not for me. I'm still trying to figure out how people drive and text...
The snow did create a couple of inside days, which to my bemusement drove me a little nuts. That is a new thing. On Thursday I got a ride down to the small gym where I work out twice a week, and was the only one there - private personal training bonus! In the afternoon, W and I determined that the streets around our house were too bad for safe walking, so we drove down to Ediz Hook to walk. There is a designated lane for walking and cycling, but it was basically snow-covered ice, so we headed to the dirt trail between the road and the inner harbor, which was mostly clear. It was a stiff westerly blowing in our faces on the way out, and we could see the clouds rolling in from the west, with a promise of more snow. It was a brisk walk, and my only real complaint was that all of the careful foot placement slowed down my time. I can live with that, because at least I got out. We're looking at rain for the next week plus, so at this point, it's a matter of making sure my raincoat is dried out between walks.
38.43/365
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