down wissahickon

I went for a walk down the Wissahickon today. The volunteer group that maintains the trail hosts an annual fundraising hike along its entire approximately 20 mile length. This year was cut short at 12 miles due to construction, but it was still my longest single hike on the creek.

All told there were some 115 attendants, some stopping at four and seven miles. I was wondering this morning how many would be on the longest run, which looked to be almost half the crowd, more than I had guessed.

I thought I'd take a picture of each mile marker along the way, but construction not only cut the walk short, it also sent us off course after mile two. We were still on the planned route, we just had a few detours that took us through a neighborhood and a separate trail system for a segment. I also simply missed some towards the end. The last leg, between our final rest stop and the finish, was the longest, and the most unfamiliar to me. I felt a sense of accomplishment for the first seven miles for knowing where I was from having walked those same paths so much already, even the detour.

We passed a handful of fruiting mushrooms, and several dried out clusters. It rained last week, but everything is still dry. One of the guides pointed out to me where brush had washed up along trees near where we were walking, some 20 yards from where the creek was currently flowing. A horse and a mini that reminded me of Dany and Teemo greeted us at a fence.

We departed around 8 and arrived around 1. The pavilion where we ended for lunch had been double booked with a dog training organization. As we approached, one of the regulars from the dog walk I've been attending called out to me, there with the other group. We chatted and I said hi to their dogs, then inhaled my food. I think I had five apples today, or six, but whatever quantity it was definitely qualified for my apples consumed per hour personal record. I prepared hummus sandwiches last night then forgot them in the fridge this morning. There turned out to be hummus sandwiches as an option alongside the turkey and chicken salad, so the error became a treat for when I got home.

Back home I ate one of the sandwiches, made a chik'n patty, then took a nap with the dogs. They'd been sleeping all day, but I was tired and missed sleeping with them. I thought I'd be away longer and return more exhausted than I was, but we woke up on time and energized enough to make it to the dog walk. The organizer moved up the timing, which worked out well as it's been getting dark earlier and we were running out of light as we finished our loop.