Expanded Walks?

I started this so-called exercise program of walking our dog, Sammy, a year ago this past December mainly because of two things. One, the dog needs to go out to do his business and has be on a leash and walked to do that and two, because my doctor told me I needed to get off my butt and do some exercise in order to tone up muscles, my heart rate, lower my blood pressure and yes, lose some weight!

And I've found that I do really enjoy doing this walking -a lot. Even when it does some days cause my ankles to ache, it's still something that has more benefits to me than it has downsides. Usually the aching part I've discovered has more to do with changes in the weather -humidity factors, as it were -that tend to affect my joints a lot more than the actual walking does.

But I have a confession to make too about my walking.

While I do walk around the village where I live and down to the wooded area of what used to be the now-ghost town of Peale or out along another back road to Cooper Two, where there used to be a big mining operation, most of these walks consist of walking on an area that is relatively flat. Oh, there are a couple places along the way where there is a little bit of a hill to climb, but for the most part, it's actually a pretty easy walk way.

However, there are a few other parts in the village that I avoid walking there -like the plague!

If I were to walk up the street to the four-way intersection in the middle of town and take a left turn there, I'm quite sure I'd be well out of breath in very short order and probably would wish I had some Leki Hiking Poles to use to kind of pull myself along a bit!

No, it's not craggy rocks and crevices along that particular route through town but it is a pretty steep hill to climb, that's for sure!

How our lives do change over the years though. I remember from grades 1 through 6, I walked that road every school day, up that hill, sometimes even running and skipping along too. Things that today, sixty years later, my legs and back along with my lungs, would definitely be in major pain if I even tried to climb that hill at a very slow pace!

Maybe someday, if I ever get the notion to think my system is up to the challenge, I could then walk up that big old hill and surprise the living daylights out of my son -who lives at the top of that hill -as I'd come into his kitchen and collapse -most likely -of a coronary!

I think I'll keep my walking along the routes I've been using and leave the climb up the mountain to a ride in my jeep!