I started today at 5am, lazy and catching up on TV shows. After a few hours I decided to hit the Wii Fit for a while and see if I could break a sweat and maybe a few of Chuck’s records. I spent 1 ½ hours, broke 2 records (one of mine and one of his) and racked up 43 more minutes of exercise.

Around 9:45am I hopped on-line to double check the address for the Clear Creek State Park, which is where today’s 4 mile hike was being held. I was not surprised to find I had had a blond moment and completely got the time of the hike start wrong. I was thinking it didn’t start until 10:30am, but it turns out it started at 10am. Well, there was no way that I would get over to the park, which is located south of Lancaster, in 15 minutes. I had to call Bone Yard Recorder and Pioneer Spirit to let them know I wasn’t coming. I hated making that call.

So – what to do with my day now?! I decided to head down to Chillicothe and pick up a few letterboxes so I wouldn’t have a totally wasted day. I also decided to make the boxes I was after include a good, long hike. I started out going after a box in a cemetery only to find out I had gotten that box back in 2007. Technically, this could also be known as a blond moment, but I’m choosing not to think that way! So, I headed to the next cemetery on the list and found my first box of the day. From there, I headed to Great Seal State Park to pick up 4 more boxes. The first 2 boxes were really easy since they were right by the Ireland Picnic Shelter and not on a mountain. After those, I headed up Sugarloaf Mountain in search of the other 2 boxes. It’s here that the bruised knee came into being. Of all places, I tripped over a log on one of the few flat parts of the path up the mountain! Boy did that hurt!!! Anyway, I toughed it out cause that is just what I do! I kept heading up the mountain, taking breaks about ever 20 to 30 feet – dang I am out of shape! I picked up one box on the way up and the 2nd at the top of the mountain. What a beautiful view – I just wish it wouldn’t have been cloudy today. I wasn’t expecting the temperature to drop so much as I climbed and I found it to be bitterly cold once I got to the top. In fact, there were icy patches on the path. The wind made it feel about 0 degrees up there. On the way back down the mountain, I was never so thankful for having bought my walking stick at the 2007 Gahanna Flea Market for $20 bucks. Best investment to date!

oh god - i remember those sugarloaf boxes. that's when i discovered that i am not a mountain goat!

antimony

Bec! Did you go up to Wonder Bread by yourself?! Manly Man was listening as I was reading your post and asked that very question! He said that's how they find bodies in the spring!

From Dance with Wolves:
"Somebody back east is waiting on them to write"

(I'm sure that's not the exact words, but that's the general idea as Kevin Costner and Eldon (Murphy Brown's painter turned cowboy) come across a family that had been scalped by the Indians)

He then told me not to say that, but I am! Girlfriend...you are brave! That is one wicked hike! Not to mention by yourself! I say again...take this hike in the late afternoon in the summer and smell Tecumseh's fried chicken on the way down!

(Manly Man says he's not going to talk to me again...rats!)

Yep - I did the hike by myself. It was so beautiful to be out there with no noise but the occasional squirel. I almost turned back after I fell and busted my knee, but since I was still able to walk I kept moving forward. It was a tough hike, but the many breaks I took on the way up helped. I thought about taking Lacey with me, but I thought it was too steep for my old girl to try. She would have given her all though.

Thanks Pioneer Spirit for planting these boxes on the mountains. Without those, I would never have done a climb/hike like that!

Snapdragon and I did that hike last December and it was so nice that day. We could not believe it when we checked the time after reaching the top. It felt like it was only about an hour or less. It is sure nice having a friend to hike with. I set out to do it alone the week before but was glad I did not...

I think I would have liked to hike it with someone else, but no one was around that would actually do it with me. Oh well. I saw your stamps in the log books - I love to see who came before me.

I saw your stamps in the log books - I love to see who came before me.

OH my do I agree.

If you like to cover a lot of ground you don't want to box with me. First I move VERY VERY Slowly. But more importantly one of the things that I enjoy most in letterboxing is looking through the log book at comments and the signature stamps of my predecessors.

But more importantly one of the things that I enjoy most in letterboxing is looking through the log book at comments and the signature stamps of my predecessors.

This is my favorite part as well...I had a blast while visiting my own Mom's Milk and Cookies box a few weeks ago. I knew that folks had checked in because they had logged their finds, but to see their handwriting and their wonderful comments brought tears to my eyes many times. When I stuffed all of the logbooks back in the box Manly Man told me I was risking losing them, but I told him I couldn't take that fun away from anyone else who likes to see who they are following. Thanks everyone for the wonderful comments you make! =)