I’m Baa-aack!!

How can two-and-a-half months disappear so quickly?! That’s how long it’s been since I was last here in this space … and I can’t even claim the time was filled with fun and frivolity.

An injury has kept me inactive and housebound for the past 6 weeks, hobbling along like a decrepit old woman. Mother Nature finally graced my small corner of the world with a mild winter and I haven’t been outdoors to enjoy it.

The sad story is that I have bad feet – like other people complain about their hips or knees.

Yes, yes, I know I have many things for which I’m grateful, but these miserable feet have caused me no end of grief over the years.

Then early in December, my latest foot problem escalated into a problem with my IT band.

If you aren’t familiar with the Iliotibial band, it’s that muscle that runs along the outside of your leg connecting the hip and knee. Let’s just say that my foot problem developed into a hip and knee problem as that IT band became increasingly grumpy. Walking was painful, and stairs were an epic adventure that caused me to seriously consider how badly I really wanted to go upstairs.

Thanks to a new physiotherapist, I am finally on my way to full mobility again, and more importantly, I’m almost pain-free.

Which brings me to why I’ve smiling from ear-to-ear.

If you follow Deb at the Widow Badass, then you know that this week we hit the trail together again, this time meeting at the Hilton Falls Conservation Area. Deb has recently retired, and this hike was high on her wish list. I was more than happy to go, knowing that the trail was relatively easy but full of all the stuff I like – trees, rocks, and moving water.

The day was perfect.

It started with both of us arriving at our meeting place 20 minutes early. What are the chances of that happening when we were coming from opposite directions?!

As the morning played out, we had a hike with a little of this …

A glacial pothole formed over 12,000 years ago by swirling water and rocks as the ice melted.

A little bit of that …

At the base of the falls are the ruins of an old saw mill from the 1800s.

It’s a long drop down – with a painful landing – if you lose your footing.

With a splash of something-something to keep the chill at bay …

… and since we were hiking to a waterfall, one would also expect to encounter lots of moving water. We weren’t disappointed. The heavy rains from last weekend made water levels high and an impressive cascade.

So yes, I’m back, and with Deb we have plans percolating for new adventures in the coming weeks and months. Hope you’ll join us.