I HIKE, THEREFORE I AM

On June 10th I visited Kankakee State Park for the first time and hiked along the southern part of the trail that shadows the river. Yesterday I had another appointment with another customer nearby and returned to the park and hiked the northern part of the same trail. I discovered parts of the trail that were deep in the forested area. The weather was just about perfect and the hike was terrific. That hike that I made last October to the peak of Half Dome in Yosemite truly changed my life. I have developed a love of hiking. There is simply nothing better than strapping on my backpack loaded with a few liters of flavored coconut water and some apples and setting forth to see parts of the world that for the previous 58 years of my life have been invisible to me. I hike, therefore I am.

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The Kankakee River is hiding in the background of this photo.

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Kankakee River

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I was definitely enjoying myself on this trail... This was my effort to produce the biggest smile that I am capable of making. Why do I look at this picture of myself and think of the term: grinning idiot?

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My wife made a most delicious meal last evening - homemade enchilladas.  Enchiladas are something that I usually order once per year, every year, in Houston, Texas while attending the International Quilt Market. Year after year, it is one of the best meals of the year. Last evenings meal was just as good! I know it would be helpful if I knew the name of this Houston eatery that I am raving about, but I don't. I promise to take note of the name when I return this October.

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Your Food Diary For:

Friday, June 24, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
3 Egg Omelette - Ham and Cheese	400	1	30	40	1,225	0
Grits	200	44	3	4	620	2
Malt-o-meal Cereal - Honey Nut	120	24	2	3	210	9
	720	69	35	47	2,055	11
L U N C H
Pineapples - Pineapples, 2 Cup	172	33	0	2	2	33
Roast Beef w/American Cheese	360	42	10	27	740	7
Red Delicious Apple, 3 medium apple	285	75	1	2	5	57
	817	150	11	31	747	97
D I N N E R
Homemade - Enchilladas	900	97	21	80	2,159	0
Avocado	250	13	22	3	11	1
	1,150	110	43	83	2,170	1
S N A C K S
Landshire Ham & Cheese Wedge	260	32	8	18	1,240	7
	260	32	8	18	1,240	7
Totals	2,947	361	97	179	6,212	116
Your Daily Goal	3,913	489	130	196	2,300	146
Remaining	966	128	33	16	-3,912	30
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 1,983 extra calories from exercise today

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Your Exercise Diary for:

      Friday, June 24, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Walking	192	1,929
Walking	61	520
Daily Total / Goal	253 / 30	2,449 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	713 / 210	7,137 / 4,130

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After dinner, my daughter wanted to go to Target to pick up a small treasure. As long as she was agreeable to walking there, she had a very willing companion. 

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Something about this spot I found overlooking the river reminded of the INTO DARKNESS movie poster. (Is it still considered a 'selfie' if the photo is taken with a timer with no human behind the lens?)

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A more relaxed photo taken at the same place as my 'Into Darkness' photo. You cannot imagine how scary this ledge really was overlooking the Kankakee Rivers from 50 or 60 feet above the riverbank. This would have been an amazingly cool spot to take a photo from a different angle and at some distance if someone had been with me and could have captured just how isolated this rock bluff was. I remember precisely where this was on the trail - a place worth returning to sometime in the future.

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Weather conditions for this TWELVE MILE, THREE HOUR HIKE were just about perfect! Although it was actually 81°F  one can clearly see that with the wind blowing from the East at 6mph, it felt like 82°F!

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and finally....Saturday morning is time for my weekly weigh-in...232.5 lbs.  This is only .4 lbs down from last week. I would have preferred to see a bigger downward movement.  On the other hand, if I were to lose .4 pounds every week for 52 weeks -  I would drop 20 pounds over the course of one year. The important thing for me to remember is that this is a long distance race with no finish line - not a sprint.