That Autumn morning darkness is a bummer. Unless I switch to afternoon walks, I have to do that dreaded zig-zag if I want to go to the gulch.
4.63 miles in 1:27, 9,959 steps, 462ft gain
I'll just have to have a better attitude about it, I suppose. Exercising early has always been how I'm able to do it consistently. But I think I'll leave just a few more minutes later now that school's back in session. Trying to walk past a bus stop with about 25 kids who don't leave any room to pass--right as their bus arrived-- was pretty annoying. But since the bus and I got there at the same time, they'll be gone if I just wait a bit.
Otherwise, the timing of the sunrise was pretty nice. As I entered the gulch from the South end, there was plenty of light, but it wasn't overly bright. Fall's definitely pretty in there. It's been going on for weeks now, with different types of trees changing at different times.
I was very surprised today by the state of the center trail. I've always assumed that, no matter the weather, that one would stay pretty nice. But that's because I think of it as being completely covered with lots of big gravel. Lots of sections aren't, though, and after last night's rain, a lot of it was very muddy. That doesn't make it dangerous like mud on the trails higher up would be, but it makes it harder to get by.
I'll give it a couple of days to dry out over there and do yoga and swim in the meantime. And of course I'll be thinking about routes that don't get muddy, even though my favorites are susceptible.