Fifty Hikes at 50: #17 - Southern Hospitality - and the return to the green, green grass (er,...woods) of home!

I think I woke up before Denise Austin on this morning

When I was a runner, I would carry my running shoes everywhere I went. There was no choice but to get training runs in - and it actually turned out to be an excellent way to see a new location! I have run through Paris at dawn, Garmisch at dusk, and in many cities, suburbs, and rural areas in between. Traveling did not allow for me to be thrown off my training schedule.

My goal of hiking is similar. 50 hikes in 52 weeks does not allow for many weeks to be missed. While ideally, my hikes will be of 6-10 miles or more, in as many National Parks I can get to, there are going to be times where I pick up intensity in order to have the equivalent of a longer hike - or I'll hike urban, to see the sights of a new area.

This past week was a lot like this. While traveling and enjoying the Easter holiday with family and friends, I was still able to log 20 miles through parts of Charleston, Savannah, and here back home in Virginia.

Charleston afforded me two days of 5 miles each. Day 1 on Daniel Island; Day 2 in the downtown area. There are not many things more pleasant than covering ground in Charleston in the month of April! Try that in the July/August time-frame and it's a whole different story! Charleston is beautiful and you can cover block after block after block - never slowing down as you take it all in.

After departing Charleston, we headed to Savannah, and an opportunity to get 4 miles in while we explored the city! Absolutely fabulous, with beautiful parks, and Spanish moss flowing from the trees! We then moved down along the river and covered the waterfront area - with huge container ships passing as we trekked along. We'll plan to do a more in-depth hike here again!

I'd be remiss if I didn't add Orlando, our destination after Savannah. This was down time. A chance to enjoy a few days with no real schedule or agenda. A day at the pool, a day at Epcot! A good down day.

Back home in Virginia, realizing all miles to that point had been asphalt, I headed out to see how Spring had arrived since my last trip into the forest. I was pleasantly surprised as I logged 6 miles along trails of green. Everything had changed from just two weeks prior - with the setting sun forcing me out before I was ready.

So, it was a full and busy week, though I was able to get the hikes in that I needed - and enjoyed all I had seen. I realize it is time to venture out again, and I look to move out to new frontiers in the weeks ahead!

Update: I'm happy to report my hiking partner was able to hike a number of these miles with me! She's following doctor's orders - as she's in it for the long haul :-)