Hike #3: Coalton Trail. Checking off the boxes

Date: January 26th 2020
Hike Distance: 5.54 Miles.
Location: Superior, Colorado Coalton Trail
Start Time: 3:02PM

Weather: Clear and cool

Total Miles: 11.8

A daddy tomato and a baby tomato are going for a walk
The baby tomato kept on falling behind
The daddy tomato went back and Squished the baby and said
KETCHUP!

This is one of my favorite dad jokes.  It officially has my daughter roll her eyes back into her head and she's only 7.  Today's hike reminded me of this joke for so many reasons.  I love hiking with my daughter.  She always is looking at things and enjoying things on such a simple level.  She's not worried about bills, and to-do lists, and adult responsibilities.  I think in some way what I'm searching for while doing the hikes is a moment of simple bliss that kids get to enjoy as their default status.

Hike # 2 Mt. Sanitas, Dropping like Flies.

HIke #2
Mt. Sanitas, East Ridge, SAnitas Valley Trail
Boulder Colorado.
Date: January 18th, 2020
26 degrees when starting

2.69 Miles.

Total Miles: 6.26

After I posted pics and announced my hike last week a bunch of people said they'd like to join if I went again.  The solitude of the first trek was needed as a starting point, but company and support is welcome for excursions as well, so I decided to let people know the next trip and leave it to them to meet me or not.  If no one else showed up, I'd go on my own, but if anyone else was truly crazy enough to get up at the buttcrack of dawn, I'd welcome them.

Hike #1 Stranahan Loop, Boulder: First sunrise in a long time.

Date: January 11th 2020
Hike Distance: 3.57 Miles.
Location: South Boulder, Colorado Stranahan North and South Trails
Start Time: 7:30AM
Weather: Clear and COLD

Weight: 248.6 lbs.

Total Miles: 3.57

I decided to get up early and start my first hike.  I had asked for a new Camelbak water pack for Christmas and my Mother-In-Law got me one so I was ready to go.  I set the alarm clock for 6:00 and was planning to start my hike by sunrise, which was at 7:21.  I got up in the morning and it was still really dark.  My wife Rolled over and turned off the alarm and that's when I learned my first lesson

Lesson 1: Lay out your clothes the night before, because you'll be stumbling around in the pitch dark so you don't wake up your spouse.  

Journey of a thousand miles, or something....

So here we are.  I wasn't planning on writing a blog, but when you get out on a trail by yourself you have a lot of quiet time to think.  It's a good time for thinking, and I decided that some of the things I was talking to myself about I might want to get down in writing so I didn't forget them like a dream you wake up in the middle of.

 I decided on my 39th birthday that I was going to lose 40 pounds by the time I was forty.  I'm currently 249.8 pounds.  That .2 pounds is really important because I've never in my life been over 250. It has always felt like this hard line between being "a little overweight" and truly FAT.  I know that official charts for weight versus height put me in the obese category, but for me that was the line in the sand or the North wall towards really being a fat guy.

I know what you're probably thinking: Look at the date!  It's another new year's resolution exercise blog that'll fizzle by February.   I can't say that it's not a little true, but for the record I started a diet and exercising on October 18th.  I cut out all deep fried food, and joined a gym that I go to at least twice a week with help from a friend that is actually healthier than I am, which is saying a lot because he's diabetic.