Interrupted
My Life Thus Far
The Line Between Pleasure and Pain
The line between pleasure and pain truly is a fine one. I can't seem to distinguish where pleasantly sore and unbearably aching begins and ends. It was a great day, though. I know I'm going to sleep well tonight. If only from sheer exhaustion.
I woke up this morning feeling really good, with my mind set on finding a really great family hike. Snookums couldn't go because he had school and work today, but the kids and I had a fantastic time. I Googled fun family hikes on the Olympic Peninsula and came up with about 7 that caught my attention. I narrowed them down by distance, attractions, expense (some require a backwoods permit, which I wouldn't use enough to make it worth the expense). We settled on Lover's Loop a 6.5 mile hike in the Sol Duc Valley near the Sol Duc hot springs. Unfortunately, when we got there, the park had been closed due to a medical emergency. So, I had to rethink our plans. It ended up working out even better!
On our way to Sol Duc Valley we passed a sign for the Spruce Railroad trail. I've always wanted to hike this trail, but it's super long so it inevitably gets checked off the list when we're planning our next hike. I figured we could just hike part of it, since we were right there and our original plans had fallen through... It turned out to be the greatest hike! The entire trail is nestled right up to the shoreline of Lake Crescent (which just happens to be one of my most favorite places on the planet). There's so much to see and the trail changes constantly. We came across an old railroad tunnel (turned cave due to a fall out), a tiny waterfall and stream, lots of different plant life and small creatures (birds, squirrels, banana slugs, and the like). I had such a great time. The kids had a great time. We're going to try to get Snookums to go with us next time. Maybe with bathing suits and a picnic lunch.
I'm saddened by the knowledge that my two days off have come to an end, but I'm comforted in the fact that I made the most of them. As nice as laying in bed feels in the moment, I always end up feeling like I wasted the day. Even though my hip and back are screaming bloody murder, the rest of me is feeling very strong and accomplished. The trade off is worth it.
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