Healthy Living

13 miles later…

After a weekend of debauched eating at two Halloween parties, a crew of nine from CrossFit Addiction set out for a Sunday hike at Amicalola Falls in Dawsonville, Ga. We hoped to enjoy the perfect weather and changing leaves, and also to jumpstart our 20 Days of Paleo challenge.

Thinking this hike was like many others I’d been on, I donned workout clothes and running shoes. Tom, who is in the Marines, smartly wore boots, but he also managed to pack any and every necessity in his military pack, which must have weighed more than 50 pounds.

We started out by hiking a mile up to the top of the falls.

And at several spots on the way up, we witnessed fantastic views.

At the top of the falls, I realized I could only see a few feet of water, but the trees were spectacular.

As we started the next leg of our accent, Tom decided to take the path less trodden.

And after 4 miles of hiking straight up, we plopped down to enjoy fruit, veggies and nuts, and to try to figure out where the heck we were.

After another mile or two, we happened upon Hike Inn, where my parents stayed with a group of friends a few weeks ago. You hike 5.5 miles to the inn, they feed you dinner, you sleep in a bunk room, they feed you breakfast, and you hike back down the next day. I’m so proud my parents are still so active.

After Hike Inn, we realized we had 6.5 miles back to the bottom of the mountain. A couple miles into that last half of the hike, we all began to feel the effects. Wearing running shoes wasn’t a great idea when you’re stepping on rocks and stumps. My feet and calves ached, and my body needed more food and water.

But we journeyed downward, determined not to stop for anything. They told us the hike would take 6 hours, and we managed to finish it in 4.5 hours. As CrossFitters, this was quite the PR.

We definitely didn’t set out for a 13 mile hike, but it sure made us appreciate all our training.

And according to my pedometer, here are my Sunday stats:

Steps: 29,620
Calories: 856
Active Time: 4 hours 51 minutes
Miles: 13.88

Sunday night, I crashed and was the sorest I’d been in years. Luckily, by Monday, the soreness has subsided a good bit, but fatigue set in as I started my first day of the Paleo challenge–sans coffee.

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Haley

I'm a full-time wife and semi-stay-at-home mom to four young kids. Day to day, I help my husband with his small business, but when I have any extra time, you can find me cooking or being active outdoors with my family. We live at the foothills of the North Georgia mountains and are embracing modern homesteading month by month.

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