Building up mileage

I wanted bad weather, I got bad weather!

I went out this morning to do the Liberty Lake Loop Trail. A 9 miler with 1370 feet of elevation gain. The forecast was for rain and wind all day. As "Darwin On The Trail" says, "Embrace the suck." I wanted to get out in less than ideal conditions just to see how I'd fare.

In the past I've done the loop clockwise. This time I wanted to do it counterclockwise because there's a mile-long section that goes straight down the mountain without any switchbacks and it just destroys my knees. I figured if I climbed it instead, and dealt with going down the switchbacks instead it might be a little less painful, and I was right.

I had to stop every 200-300 yards going up the hill because I'm not exactly fit (yet). The rain was actually a welcome distraction to the sound of my heart trying to jump out of my chest.

Once I got to the top and started down towards Liberty Creek Falls it was easier on my breathing but much harder to traverse. There were some fairly steep sections that were covered in ice and mud. It really slowed me down as every step had to be thought out.

Once I got down to the Cedar Grove, the trail is considerably better and I made tracks. I completed it in just over 4 hours. Not bad considering I'm still trying to get my trail legs and I also still have a lot of weight to lose. It was fun!