Sutherland Pond Hike

Saturday's hike was special, because it was also my birthday. You would think that after 34 years, birthdays would not be cause for celebration, but it's still very nice when the love of your life presents you with a gift card to your favorite sports store at the stroke of midnight; and your friends plan a birthday surprise for you in the middle of the woods. At 35, I feel healthy, happy and lucky to be alive.

This trip report I found on the internet describes the hike perfectly, so no more needs to be said about the route.

http://www.nynjtc.org/hike/sutherland-pondscenic-traileagle-cliff-loop-mine-hill-road

It was fairly complicated, switching between 5 different trails, but thanks to Richard's keen map-reading ability, we were able to follow the trip report to the letter and cover portions of 5 different trails, with very little meandering off-course. The hike took us 6 1/2 hours, because we took breaks at several places, once to swim in the weed-infested Sutherland Pond, where my surprise birthday cake (thank you, Rajiv and Urmila, for the delicious chocolate cake) was sprung on me, making my day,

once for lunch, several times to enjoy the views,

and pretty tree-fungi,

photograph pine cones,

slowing down to wade through swamps, swat at annoying flies,
cross streams,

losing our way once, and finally making it back to the parking lot at 5:45 pm, hot, dusty and triumphant. Another memorable hike!

Last week's workouts:

Monday: 10 miles + core work

Tuesday: 5 miles + spinning

Wednesday: 8 miles (this was the most humid run I've ever run...there was a curtain of mist over everything and the air was warm and dense when I started running at 6:30 am)

Friday: 18 miles (I remember the first 18-miler I did before my first marathon last year...my knees felt like jelly; this time around, it was a breeze...thanks to all the spinning and core work that's been accomplished over the year)

Saturday: 6 1/2 mile hike

Sunday: 6 miles (I ran the last mile in a thunderstorm...and finished as a huge thunderclap made a dramatic entrance through the clouds).

Total for the week: 47 miles

On another note, Kara Goucher rocks! She finished ahead of everyone at the Chicago Rock n' Roll Half Marathon...women and men included! Go Kara!

Happy week, everyone!