Monday, March 8, 2010

The Weekend Report: A Spring Hike

This may be prematurely optimistic, but spring has sprung here in DC!!!

It is gorgeous out and I am happy. The city workmen are planting flowers along the sidewalk, people are out and about, and all of a sudden the return of warmth and sundresses doesn't seem that far away...It’s really amazing what a bit of sun and outdoorsy fun can do for my psyche.

This weekend I celebrated the beginning of spring with a trip into the wilds of Virginia (ok, well, at this point, anything outside of running distance from my front door counts as “wild”).

I went on a hike to Raven Rocks, VA. Getting there was a bit of a trek – we took the Metro to a meeting point, then drove about an hour. But it was totally worth it! And we hiked into West Virginia – WOOT! (I know it has a reputation for toothless hill-billys and topless mountains, but I always love checking off another state!)

And I love hiking almost as much as I love running. (It just takes longer.) I’ve done quite a bit of urban hiking this past year, but Sunday was a real hike. There were trees, snow, rocks, hills, and panoramic views.

There’s just something really nice about going out and walking on a trail for an extended period of time. I can chat with my fellow outdoorsmen/women (haha, does that make you picture camo and neon orange hats? Beards and plaid perhaps?), or I can just space out and daydream. There’s something distinct about the kind of tired you feel after a long hike. It’s the kind of tired that comes from a combination of being outside, in the sun, and moving for an extended period of time. And it’s the kind of tired I love!

If you miss the outdoors like I do, and lack the means to organize a hike (i.e. a car, directions, hiking friends), I suggest you look into Meetup.com. Enter "hiking" as your interest, and then enter your zip code - it will give you a list of groups that meet up in your area. I've had really good experience with this site - both hiking and running groups - nothing creepy yet!

Happy Spring! It's going to be a good week, I can just feel it!