“I’m gonna kick your ass”

Ok dear readers, so you know how I said we like going the opposite way because there’s no one in front of or behind us. And how we don’t have to compete with them. Now let’s add on the fact that we completed what is generally considered the hardest 2-day stretch of the 192 mile journey.

And furthermore let me add that it seems like we’re finally in shape, and April’s feet seems to be significantly better.

So how do you think this will all play out for a really competitive person, who’s feeling kind of cocky and frisky?

As we’re hiking along on a beautiful Fall morning, up a gorgeous valley, spectacular mountains all around us, April turns to me and says “I’m gonna kick your ass!”

Ah-ha, the gauntlet is thrown down! She’s slapped my cheek. She’s challenging my manhood.

Should be an interesting day.

Ok, back to the beginning…

Finally a much more relaxed morning, we had an easy day in front of us, about 10 miles. Maybe 4 hours. We ate late, strolled thru town, stopped at the grocery store and post office and got a nice tuna sandwich on a baguette, some candy bars. Found the path out of town, and start out on a fantastic wide track up this beautiful valley. The valley was maybe ½ mile wide, rising up to a col (pass) in front of us. Huge peaks/ridges on either said. Babbling brook down the middle. Waterfalls cascading down both side. Mixed fields with sheep, and small forested tracks. And we knew it was going to be easy and pleasant.

Husband and wife strolling lovingly thru the valley. The conversation turns over to how we’re feeling, are we finally in shape, what hurts? And then April comes out with her killer quote, “I’m going kick your ass”.

Ha!

So we didn’t just go charging up the trail, we really did enjoy the hike up. We stopped and chatted with two older gentlemen. We stopped for a break on a bridge over the little stream. It was kind of like the lull before the storm. No need to rush anything, we could both see the steep part at the end and we knew that’s where the battle would be fought!

As we near the steeps, April takes off in the lead and she’s breathing kind of hard. And she’s really sweating. It was hot but not that hot. And she’s thinking she’s the hunter and going to grind me up.

But little does she know, the hunter will become the prey!

So I’m following her, and it’s pretty clear to me this game is mine. I’m only breathing thru my nose while she’s really pushing and breathing hard. In fact I’m so confident I’m trying to figure out how to win, not IF I’m going to win. Should I just pull away and try to create as much distance between us? Should I wait until the end and really blow past her and tell her she’s running a good race? I’m even thinking about how I should explain this all on the blog? Obviously the thoughts of a confident man.

Ok finally we’re nearing the end. Now a gentleman wouldn’t really go into all the detail about the end so…

I’ll tell you exactly what happened. Ha!

We’re near the end, and I finally come up with the best solution. With maybe 100 yards to go, I ask her if she wants me to carry her pack. How elegant, how beautiful. How satisfying. How sweet it is!

Of course I got the LOOK.

Ok, with that silliness over we get to the col and sit on a hill by a gorgeous tarn (small lake). We had a great lunch, tuna, chips, some locally made date bar kind of thing. Fantastic. It’s early. We beat the books suggested time to the top. The sun is out, I have my shirt off. The downhill is supposed to be fairly easy. This is a highlite of the trip.

April decides to get moving so she can take a picture of me behind her. No skillz.

Then we have a nice leisurely downhill. We step over maybe 15 little steams n the way down. A lot of water flowing to the Irish Sea. We stop and talk with an illustrator/photographer who is doing a book on the Coast-Coast due out in 2011.

We hit the town of Grasmere, it’s got more action than most of the towns we’ve seen. Nice outdoor cafés. April gets a locally famous gingerbread cookie from a tiny shop that used to be the school and Wordsworth taught here. In fact, this is where Wordsworth lived when he had some of his most prolific writing years hiking thru these hills. I wonder if he raced his wife thru the hills?

We stopped for beer. Then found our B+B. had our best meal of the trip at a nice café; April had baked halibut and I had Pork Marsala.

Then headed back to the B+B for some catch up on the blog.