Oh My Achin' Knees

As advertised, we hiked the Waimea Canyon today. I consider myself in reasonable shape ... well, reasonable shape for a 58-year old: a little overweight, a little short of breath, and a bad knee, but compared to the average 58-year old I think I can hold my own. I go walking several days a week in the Texas hill country, which has some pretty good elevation changes. None of that made a bit of difference. Waimea Canyon flat out kicked my butt.

Of course, it didn't help that my wife (who doesn't work outside the house, so has plenty of time for pilates, biking, etc.) and kids walk at a much faster pace than I do. I tend to mosey, which is Texan for a gait somewhat slower than a stroll. Their pace is closer to speed walking.

It also didn't help that the damn trails go up and down faster than a crack ho' trying to score her next rock. The elevation change from the trailhead to our destination was 450 feet over 3+ miles. That doesn't sound like much, until you look at a topo map. The trail goes up 80 feet, then down 100, then back up 80, then down a hundred again ... lather, rinse, repeat. That 450 feet is actually more like 1500 up and 2000 down (of course, the trail out was downhill - that meant it was uphill on the return trip). The trail was labeled as "strenuous," and I'm here to testify that's an understatement.

Add in my wife's constant exhortations to hurry up, and it was just like being back in basic, except I wasn't toting a rucksack and rifle.

Nevertheless, it was worth the pain. The views of the canyon were tremendous. The Waipoo waterfalls were a little disappointing, but that might be because we hiked to the top of the falls, and hence couldn't see them below us.

The hiking took about 5 hours total. Add in driving time, and the day was pretty well shot. The wife and kids leave tomorrow, while I stay on for 5 more days (conference - tough job). I'll miss them, but God I could use some rest.

I can conclusively state that obama's birth certificate is not in Waimea Canyon. I scoured that SOB from one end to the other today. I change hotels tomorrow. Maybe that'll change my luck...