Thursday was a home workout and then a short 3 mile hike in the sunshine with That Man and the puppy at Blue Jay Point County Park.
The prettiest puppy at The Point in Blue Jay County Park.
About Blue Jay County Park
Blue Jay Point County Park is a 236-acre park located in the northern part of Wake County.
There are five miles of trails inside the park boundaries. (For a trail map, see pages 3–4 of Blue Jay Point’s Park Brochure .)
The Azalea Loop Trail is an interpretive experience. At the trail head, you can pick up a seasonal Interpretive Guide that corresponds with 18 numbered posts along the half-mile trail.
Hikers seeking longer trails opportunities will find that Blue Jay’s Section VI of the Falls Lake Trail connects with North Carolina’s Mountains to Sea Trail, thus extending the hiking opportunities well beyond the boundaries of Blue Jay Point – Falls Lake Trail Map and Falls Lake Trail sections .
We hiked just a few miles on the MST before sunset made us call it a night.
Brochure map of Blue Jay County Park trails.
Friday I was back at Eno State Park, leading a 12 mile hike on the MST. It’s the longest hike I’ve led so far this year.
The Eno River from the Cabelands Trail.
The route went from the Pleasant Green trailhead along the Laurel Bluffs trail, the Quarry Trail and to our resting spot and halfway point at the Pump Station ruins.
The Pump Station used to provide water for the whole area until Falls Lake and Jordan Lake were created.
It was a great group, including someone who had never hiked that far before!
Saturday was meant to be a “rest” day, but didn’t quite turn out that way.
I did my yoga/Pilates routine, and took a quick 3 mile hike in the morning to DTC Park before the rain, thinking that would be it.
DTC Bird play structures.
But later, the rain hadn’t materialized so we had time for another 3 miles in the woods at Falls Lake with That Man and our puppy friend.
And that’s a wrap for Week 5! 🙂
Next week, the weather forecast is….probably mostly wrong again!
But, no matter what, we know that:
You may have noticed that my hikes this week (the ones I was leading) were all pretty long.
Next week, hikes will be longer and I’ll also be adding more weight to my pack on the short ones.
Are you Ready????
View of the Eno from the Pump Station ruins
I hope you’ve found my Training Log ramblings to be helpful- or at least amusing! 🙂 To see more of them go to my Training Log.
– – Training Week 8 started Monday with some yoga, and I FINALLY had a chance to get back on my new Vertical Climber for a 35 minute session.
Still just lifting my own body weight, but I’ll see how it goes and probably add some pack weight later in the week.
I finally got some time on my vertical climber!
I hiked up about 2000ft, and I did 3lb weights on each wrist to work my arms and back a little bit harder.
This week I needed to “look up” and focus more on vertical gain training, either with actual uphill hikes, or treadmill or vertical climber workouts.
Tuesday was my fun/exploration day because the weather was amazing!
Started with kickboxing in my home gym, then went over to Umstead State Park.
My goal was to take a look at a social trail on the far side of Big Lake that I hadn’t been on for several years.
Hiking a social trail at Umstead State Park.
My time was limited, so I ended up hiking only about 4 miles, but it was good to get out in the unseasonably warm day and see what had happened to the social trail.
Wednesday I led a small but mighty group of hikers on a long hiking route I hadn’t done in a couple of years.
Laurel Bluffs Trailhead at Pleasant Green.
We started from the Pleasant Green trail access on the Eno River and hiked the Laurel Bluffs, Quarry and Pump Station Trail for a 12.5 mile RT hike.
Stopping for a halfway break at the Pump Station ruins.
We also had about 1400ft elevation gain, which I’d forgotten about (ugh!).
But I only had 5lbs extra in my pack, so it wasn’t that bad 🙂
It was a gorgeous hike, and I was also able to take the group on a short detour from the Laurel Bluffs trail to the old Cabe Cemetery site I found a couple of weeks ago.
Headstones in the old Cabe cemetery along the Laurel Bluffs trail.
We stopped for a break along the river at the Pump Station ruins, and then reversed our route back to Pleasant Green.
This hike kicked my butt! So Thursday was mostly a stretching and rest day 🙂
Thursday was mostly a rest day.
Are You Getting Closer to Your Goals?
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It’s Week 8, so it’s time to do a final progress check. (You can click here to sign up and download your FREE “8 Weeks to Awesome” PDF.)
By Week 8:
Your weekly Long Hike should be full goal-hike length, and
Your Strength Building hike should include full goal-weight pounds in your pack.
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You’ll get instructions and three printable trackers:
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Daily & Weekly Workouts
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Walking a local greenway.
Friday I had to drop off my car in the morning for some maintenance work, so though the afternoon was nice, I was limited to exercise I could do around home.
So I did some longish yoga, and about 4 miles urban hiking in my neighborhood.
Spring is here in my neighborhood!
Saturday began with kickboxing and upper body weights in my home gym.
Later in the day I met with That Man and the puppy at Falls Lake for some exploratory hiking in the woods.
Hiking the MST towards the intersection with Hwy 98.
We have a short hike that we usually do from the Baptist Rd trailhead to a bench along the lake that’s along the MST.
We wanted to continue from there to the intersection with Hwy 98.
Kiosk at MST Trailhead on Hwy 98
The closest equivalent I could find was MST Hike L, which they say is about 6-7 miles RT.
We thought our route would be slightly shorter because of where we were starting, but…No!
The end point of MST Hike L.
It was actually longer.
We ended up going about 8 miles, which was a very long way for That Man (who is rehabilitating a knee) and the puppy (who has very short legs).
Hiking through the powerline cut towards Hwy 98.
Fortunately the route is mostly soft underfoot with pine needles and leaves, and doesn’t have much elevation gain .
Even so, we barely made it home before sundown and pretty much flaked out for the rest of the evening 🙂
Redbuds blooming on the MST.
Between kickboxing, weights, AND 8 miles of hiking, I think that was just the thing to do!
Hikers on the 1 Mile bridge on the Company Mill Trail.
Sunday I led a big group of hikers on a 9 mile Company Mill and Sycamore loop in Umstead State Park.
The weather was perfect, the pace was good, and everyone had a great time 🙂
Hikers taking a break on the Company Mill Trail.
And so ends Week 8.
Don’t worry if you haven’t reached your goals yet – just because it’s an 8-week program doesn’t mean you have to stop at 8 weeks.
In my case, I still have some training to do in terms of elevation gain.
Maybe you’ve still got some work to do, too?
Fortunately for me, my epic hike event doesn’t happen for about another 8 weeks.
I’ll be hiking Mount Olympus in a couple of months.
So, I’ll just keep training from here – while trying to NOT over-train.
And I’ll bet you thought this was going to be my last Training Log post! Not so fast, Grasshopper 😉
I’ll also keep posting weekly because telling you guys what I’m doing helps keep me motivated- and you know you’re all my accountability buddies.
But I’ll bet some of you are heartily and justifiably sick of these training posts – it’s just too much me, right???
Believe me, I’m getting kind of sick of me, too… 😉
So I also want to get back to writing about great parks and hikes you can try out – we’ve all got that to look forward to!
TAKEAWAY LESSON: For any kind of training – ongoing or towards a goal – it’s a good idea to stop every once in a while to appreciate how far you’ve come. But if you still have a way to go – don’t stop!
Stopping along the Eno for a break.
I hope you’ve found my Training Log ramblings to be helpful in your training process – or at least amusing! 🙂 To see more of them go to my Training Log.
You could also take a look at my Asthma Diet , if you want to see what kind of things I’m eating. It might work for your diet goals, too.
– – Training Week 7 began on Monday with a quick kickboxing and upper body weights session before loading the car and heading for the beach!
Why? Because I needed a change of scene, wanted to spend time with my girls, and had hotel points that were expiring 🙂
On a morning beach hike!
Training shouldn’t be torture, but doing the same thing in the same place over and over again can be just that – so I decided to shake things up for a few days.
Tiny liittle bit of beach view from our lodgings.
I arrived too late at our lodgings to do much but get settled in and cook dinner.
By the time we were finished, it had gotten pretty cold on the beach.
It IS still February!!
So, I had to wait for a beach walk until Tuesday morning.
I did some quick yoga, then went out for an early beach hike before the girls woke up.
Walking North on the beach.
I went North (away from Myrtle Beach) about 3 miles and then turned around, for a total beach walk of ~ 6 miles.
After breakfast, we braved the (horrible) beach traffics to get to Brookgreen, a wonderful sculpture garden, arboretum and Nature conservancy that sits a few miles South of Myrtle Beach proper.
Peacock statues guard the entrance to one of the main paved paths at Brookgreen.
Brookgreen has a couple of very short unpaved “trails” but we stuck to the paved garden paths to see all of the outdoor exhibits.
The girls at Brookgreen Gardens. Aren’t they pretty???
We only walked a couple of leisurely miles before stopping for an outdoor lunch at one of the restaurants on the grounds.
That said, if you were determined to get a workout in, you could certainly plan a much longer route to get a longer hike in during your Brookgreen visit.
Wednesday I let the girls sleep, did some yoga and was out early again – this time for a bit of a longer walk.
It was about 10 miles by the time I was done and perfect weather!
I did learn that one should NOT walk long distance in water shoes – even with a “hiking” sole – because I ended up with a huge blister on the bottom of my big toe 🙁
Another beautiful beach hike!
During my walk I saw an Irish Pub, Molly Darcy’s, right on the beach and thought the girls might like to go there for lunch.
Bonus being we could walk there and wouldn’t have to drive in the terrible traffic…but, no. They didn’t want to walk but we ate there anyway, and it was pretty good. 🙂
Irish Pub on the beach.
There was a bunch of stuff in the air and we couldn’t figure it out – then I realized that Myrtle is a few weeks ahead of us weather-wise, and I checked my car.
Sure enough, my car was covered with yellow dust. It was The Pollening.
Gorgeous sunset at the beach.
That said, it was our last night at the beach, and the sunset was gorgeous. Perhaps partly due to pollen 😉
The next morning, the girls left before sunrise to get home in time for work, and I did a quick beach walk (about 3 miles) to say goodbye before checking out.
My plan was to check out, zip back down to Brookgreen (the ticket is good for 7 days) and get on an early tour of the historical and Nature preserve parts of the garden that you don’t normally see.
The Brookgreen Silent Cities Tour
The tour started from the promenade near the Welcome Center.
There are a few tours offered at Brookgreen that take you to places you don’t get to see with your general admission ticket.
The tours change seasonally – mostly because some of the places are inaccessible during wet weather.
We boarded an open-sided short bus (stop it!) and took off away from the paved garden area.
Our guide narrated local and Brookgreen history and wildlife as we went.
Fox Squirrels inhabit the Nature conservation area o Brookgreen.
Fox Squirrels
I was surprised by a fox squirrel – a creature I’d never seen before – staring at me from a tree limb as we drove along.
It was huge, and seemed a lot more intelligent than a regular squirrel….
Fox squirrels, the largest of all tree squirrels, are the true life ROUS’s.
Described by our guide as a cross between a squirrel, a fox, and a raccoon – because who really know what goes on in those woods at night? – the Fox Squirrel is a relative of the common gray squirrel, but about twice the size.
An adult Fox Squirrel can grow between 20-26 inches in length (tail included) and can weigh up to 2.5 pounds.
Stopping at an English-style walled cemetery.
Aside from Rodents of Unusual Size, this tour focused on the two cemeteries dating back to the 1700’s – one English style, and one slave (Gullah style) cemetery – encompassed by Brookgreen lands.
Alston family tree chart outside the cemetery walls.
Our first stop was at a walled, English-style cemetery from the 1700’s that had been restored by the Huntington’s when they purchased the land.
The original Alston family (previous landowners) were the primary inhabitants.
Alston family descendants also have a right to be buried there, and we did see a headstone from as recently as 2013.
Table and vault-style gravesites.
There were three kinds of graves in this cemetery: the kind of headstones we see mostly these days, “table” memorials, and raised vaults.
Our second stop was a slave cemetery, unwalled, and we followed a short natural trail through the woods to where some of the graves had been uncovered.
Some of the visible headstones from the slave cemetery.
Some of the earliest graves were unmarked save for a metal plaque or just a sack of tabby (old time cement made with oyster shells) without a name – and some with the words “Go Back” inscribed.
According to Gullah tradition , once buried, deceased loved ones would “go back” to where they were originally taken in Africa.
A handmade headstone.
The mourners would never again return to the grave after the initial burial.
And since there would be no spirit there to visit, there was no need for a long-lasting memorial.
That said, there were some hand-made headstones there, and some more modern memorials where descendants of these slaves also had a right to be buried.
No longer following Gullah tradition, these headstones are like you would see in any modern cemetery.
Along the way back, we stopped by the Waccamaw River, across from Sandy Island, home to one of the last existing Gullah communities.
Sandy Island can be access from the Intracoastal Waterway and the Waccamaw River.
Brookgreen is hoping to work out a deal with the community there to allow tours to visit from Brookgreen, but they haven’t worked it out yet.
We returned the way we came – but faster! – back to the Welcome Center.
Informational plaques outside the English cemetery.
I had hoped to get done with the tour and then go across the street to Huntington Beach for a quick hike before heading home.
I had a quick pack lunch outside Atalaya Castle.
But the tour took 2 hours, so I had to settle for a quick pack lunch outside Atalaya Castle before hitting the highway. (You can take tours of the castle, which I’ve done in years’ past, but didn’t do this time.)
So, I guess Thursday was basically my “rest” day.
The Mill at West Point on the Eno.
Friday morning I led a great group of hikers on one of my favorites routes – 9.3 miles on the MST on the Eno river, from the Pump Station trail all the way to West Point on the Eno park and back.
It was a beautiful day, and a great group!
I was ready for a good long hike after a light exercise day and long hours driving Thursday.
View of the Eno River from the rocks along the Eagle/MST Trail.
Saturday was a kickboxing and upper body weights day in my home gym – partly because the weather took a big dip to the colder side, and rain was predicted for most of the day.
It felt good to use my “El Supremo Butt-kicker” muscles again after a few days away.
Workout tools in my home gym.
Sunday morning it was back to a little bit warmer after Saturday’s cold rain, so I had a big group signed up to hike part of the the Company Mill trail in Umstead State Park and some of the MUT.
It was a pretty short hike, but I added 15 lbs to my pack to make it a strength-training hike.
My beach walks were all flat with no added weight.
The extra weight was especially needed because all of my beach hikes earlier in the week were flat, with no added weight!
What a great hike, with a good group of hikers – many newcomers, so that was wonderful to see, too 🙂
So that’s it for Week 7! You did it!
It’s time to take a look at your goals and see what progress you’ve made.
Just think about what you’ve done!
Everyone should be improved somehow from where you started – even if it’s only that you’ve stuck with an exercise plan this long!
Think back to how hard it was to make yourself do SOMETHING every day.
How scary was it at the beginning to take your first longer hike – especially if you were hiking on your own for the first time? But you did it!!
Week 8 is coming up – the last week of the Awesome training!!
You’ve come this far – it should be a piece of cake! Well, okay, maybe no cake.
Just focus, focus focus….. and some longer hikes 🙂
I was told there would be cake!
TAKEAWAY LESSON: Training towards a goal is a planned process, but you should be able to respond to changes in weather or location without giving up your training entirely.
Just keep going – but safely, of course.
If you’re new around here, but you still want to do the training from the start – you can!
If you’re like me, you’re getting tired of this training routine and are ready to move on to something else – hopefully something, you know, easier…
But don’t do it! Keep going, just for a couple of weeks longer.
Just a couple of weeks more – you can do it!
And with that encouragement… on to my Week 6 Training report!
Monday was a beautiful day, so I joined Lenore and a good group of hikers for what I thought was going to be a pretty flat 7-ish mile hike in Umstead State Park on the Multi-Use trails.
Gathering at the trailhead for a sunny Monday hike.
With that in mind, I loaded my pack with 15lbs extra to make it a strength-training day.
But in a mid-hike surprise twist, Lenore handed the reins over to Michael.
We ended up tromping through a less-traveled section of the woods, fording streams and climbing mud banks before we were through!
It turned out to be an 8.25 mile hike in all.
It was so much fun, I hardly noticed the extra weight in my pack 🙂
Tuesday was a kickboxing and upper body weights day in my home gym – despite the wonderful sunny Spring-like weather outside.
A beautiful sunny Winter’s day in Bond Park.
This is because Tuesday was also “refrigerator day” and I was trapped there until my new fridge was delivered and the old one removed.
Colleen, the prettiest puppy!
But it was also Valentine’s Day and That Man and the puppy came to my rescue, just moments after the fridge business was over.
We had just enough daylight left to have a picnic and take a nice 3 mile walk in Bond Park!
Wednesday was supposed to be my “rest” day, but it was another nice NOT rainy day and I couldn’t stand it!
A sunny afternoon in Bond Park.
So after some yoga, I loaded 15lbs extra weight (and a snack lunch) into my pack, and set off to explore a bushwack at Eno River State Park.
A “bushwack” is when there’s no official trail blazed from one point to the other, so you’re just using landmarks or info from other hikers to find your way.
This particular bushwack was an out-and-back from the Cole Mill Road trail access to the Pleasant Green Road trail access in Eno River State Park – about 6 miles in all.
Map of the Cole Mill to Pleasant Green bushwack
Aside from looking for a passable hiking route between the two access points, I was also hoping the find the old Cabe Ford in the river, and the old slave cemetery back in the woods behind the powerline cut.
Cole Mill to Pleasant Green Road Bushwack
I was fortunate to have some guidance from the Eno.com website to get me started on finding a route.
Starting from the Cole Mill Road Loop Parking area, I took the Eno Trace Trail, staying close to the river until it turned uphill to the left.
I went straight ahead, following the river.
At that point, I left the established trail and followed the river bank downriver.
There was still a trail to follow, but it was un-blazed.
Follow the power line cut until it goes away from the river.
I followed the trail south under the powerlines until it turned left away from the river.
I had to cross a small creek – fortunately someone had placed stepping stones to make it easier.
Creek crossing.
After a while I came to the remnants of the old Cabe Ford in the river.
Remnants of the Cabe Ford.
I knew from the map that the the historic cemetery for the slaves of the Cabe family was nearby – supposedly just a a few hundred yards away from the river.
I poked around, but I didn’t see anything, so continued to follow the river.
I noticed some pink ribbons.
After a bit, the trail turned back into the forest, and the way became less obvious and not so well-used.
Then I noticed the pink ribbons tied at intervals to the trees….
At first, I thought it was just some random surveyor’s marks, and I thought they’d stop after a couple of ribbons. But they kept going!
Pink and green ribbons were tied to the trees.
And not only did they keep going, but now there were both pink AND green ribbons tied to the trees.
I’d had my suspicions before, but now I knew for certain – it was Bushwack Fairies! 🙂
And thank goodness for the Bushwack Fairies, because the way became more and more obscure – especially hidden under fallen leaves – so I just followed the ribbons.
I just kept following the ribbons.
After a while, I had to cross a small creek, but couldn’t find a good place, so I followed it up on one side and came to another larger creek, with some little waterfalls.
This would be a good spot to take a break and have a snack on a sunny day.
I found a large creek with a series of little waterfalls upstream.
This was a pretty large creek with a series of waterfalls upstream adding to the water flow.
I crossed the creek on the rocks and kept going, staying on the high ridge and following the pink and green ribbons when I could see them.
I passed a house with a pond just outside the State Park lines, then emerged from the woods to the powerline cut again.
The route goes through the powerline cut again.
The trail goes back into the woods and follows the river.
Along the way, I saw some unexpected waterfalls on the other side!
Eventually, you end up going through some scrub brush along the river to a point where you approach some old farm buildings.
The trail goes through a tunnel of laurels.
Emerging from the bushes you can see the Pleasant Green Road Parking area on the other side of the river.
The Pleasant Green Road parking area can be seen across the river.
About a quarter mile further down, the trail ends at the bridge on Pleasant Green road. This is where you would cross the river to actually get to the Pleasant Green Road parking.
But since the bridge and road were under construction, and there were a lot of cars backed up, I decided that seeing it from across the river was good enough!
I went back down the trail the way I came, with no surprises.
But when I got back to the woods near the powercut, I decided to try again to find the Cabe slave cemetery.
Remnants of stone walls may mark the location of the cemetery.
I found remnants of stone walls in the cemetery location shown on the map.
I don’t know for sure that these were part of the cemetery, but there were no other ruins that I could see nearby.
Old cabin across the river from the Eno Trace Trail.
I retraced my steps back to the parking lot at Cole Mill, then got in the traffic line behind the flag guys on the Pleasant Green bridge 😉
Thursday started with a balmy 9.3 mile hike on the MST at Falls Lake with a great group of hikers!
Cypress tress in the water near Little Lick Creek bridge on the MST.
This hike is one of my favorite sections of the MST, because it’s long enough to know you’ve had a hike, and has some interesting features along the way – including the friendly horses in trail- adjacent corrals.
Feeding an apple to the friendly horses on Thursday’s hike.
Sometimes they ignore me, but this time I was worried I didn’t have enough apple to go around! I’ll bring more next time 🙂
I took my first spin on my new vertical climber!
Friday I finally did take a rest day, and just did some yoga…but I also put together my new Vertical Climber machine and tried it out for about 30 minutes.
The climber folds up and stands in a corner when not in use.
I got the machine because I really need to get more training in really steep vertical gain hikes.
The hike I’m training for has several miles of almost straight vertical climbing up rock faces – almost as steep as cliff climbing.
Saturday was a rainy day, so I did a treadmill climb in my home gym with 10lbs on my back.
I did 2 miles in 35 mins with 1000ft vert gain, then another 2 miles in 30 mins with 700ft elev loss.
We had a great hike on Sunday!
Sunday I led a great group of hikers in what ended up around 9 miles at Umstead State Park.
It was a long hike but a fast one, with an average pace of 3.7 mph.
Next up: Week 7!! Let’s make it a good one 🙂
TAKEAWAY LESSON: Don’t give up if you’re getting bored or worn out in the middle of the program – change it up, make it fun, or take a rest day – but keep on going!
We’re winding down with this year’s 8-week hike training, but you can get started and do it on your own whenever you want!
– – Training Week 5 started with another nice day, but I decided to give my hiking boots a break and do kickboxing and upper body weights in my home gym.
Trailhead at Rock Nut Hollow near Duke Forest.
Tuesday temps were going to be well above freezing and the sun came out again just in time for a short 5 mile hike at Rock Nut Hollow near Duke Forest.
Lenore led the hike with a great group of hikers!
View from the rock scramble.
It’s a scenic and fun route along the creek with a very steep (but mercifully short) hike up a “mountain” with a nice rock scramble on the return route.
I hiked with 10 lbs of extra weight in my pack, and we went at a moderate pace.
Kiosk on the Black Creek Greenway at Lake Crabtree.
Wednesday, still trying to avoid mud, I scheduled a hike at Lake Crabtree where half of the trail is on paved greenway.
The sun came out and it was a beautiful hike!
The natural trails were closed due to mud, but we went far enough to see the eagle’s nest at the pond across Aviation Parkway before turning back.
Some parts of the Black Creek Greenway are still closed due to construction.
In spite of ongoing construction on the Black Creek Greenway, Silvia and I were able to get some time on natural sections of the blue-blazed Lake Trail on the way back, and finished at about 6-6.5 miles.
I carried 15 extra lbs on this hike, and I could really feel it in my legs afterwards!
In case you’re feeling proud of yourself (and you should!), I designed some Awesome T-Shirts to commemorate your training:
Thursday this week was the last day forecast to NOT have rain, so I took advantage to do some exploratory hiking at Eno River State Park.
View of the Eno River from the Cabelands Trail.
It was my “rest day” for the week, so I just did some yoga stretches before heading out, and the hike itself was only a few miles and not very fast.
Exploratory hiking is never a sure thing – it’s more about the discovery than the miles!
This time I started from the Cabelands trailhead on the Eno River.
Who were the Cabes?
The area is called “Cabe Lands” because Barnaby Cabe and his family were settled there in the years prior to the American Revolution.
After America won her independance, the Cabes were patriots and loyal citizens, even representing Orange County in Congress and serving in the militia.
Remains of the Cabe Mill on the Eno River.
John Cabe built a grist mill on the Eno and owned many acres in the “Cabelands” area.
He eventually had 9 daughters (with three wives) and many of his daughters married other mill owners along the Eno River.
Portrait of the owners of Cole Mill, Anothy(sic) Cole and Susan Browning Cole. ca. 1875.
One of the daughters, Rachel, married John McCown and together they built what was to become known as Cole Mill – which is another major trailhead access further downriver in Eno River State Park.
In the hard times after the defeat of Culloden in 1746, family groups – even whole villages – left Scotland for America.
The shipping lists of 1776 show the McColes landing at Wilmington, NC – but we have no evidence that these early Coles ever made their way this far inland, though many other families did.
The Eno River from the Cabelands Trail.
Levi Cole, an older brother of Anthony Cole, said to have travelled from the English town of Leeds, appears to have been the earliest Cole in the Eno Valley.
After her first husband died, Rachel married Colonel Sims and together they owned and operated West Point Mill at Roxboro Road.
This mill is still in operation for demonstration purposes, and is the centerpiece for the West Point on the Eno park.
Grave markers of Elizabeth Arnold McCowan and John Cabe McCowen in the Cabe Cemetery.
In my explorations, I was looking specifically for an old cabin from the 1770’s and also the Cabe Cemetery.
But also in the area are the remnants of the Cabe Mill.
Following the Cabelands Trail from the official trailhead, blazed in red, the map shows a left-hand trail-split, marked by two red blazes.
I followed the red blazes for the Cabelands Trail.
The Cabelands Trail continues downhill to the Eno River – and this is the way I went.
Turning downriver, I followed the trail until just before the two wooden footbridges.
Off to the right through the trees, I could see the well-preserved stone foundations for the old mill.
Two footbridges beside the river cross the old mill race from the Cabe Mill.
I tromped around a bit, but couldn’t find a passable way to the mill ruins, so I continued on along the Cabelands trail beside the river.
Back on the trail, I followed the trail up toward the bluffs, now looking for the old cabin and the cemetery.
As I followed the marked trail uphill, and noticed a long flat area of land overlooking the lowlands below.
Daffodils cover the hillside where the old homestead used to be.
It turns out this was the site of the old John Cabe homestead, but nothing remains of the cabin.
Instead, only a field of daffodils appear in the Spring to mark the spot where Cabe’s daughters grew up playing in the yard.
I (reluctantly) left the daffodil-covered hillside and went in search of the Cabe Cemetery.
The daffodils are everywhere!
I was just about to give up, when I saw what looked like an unmarked trail to the right of the “official” path.
I followed that path straight to an area dotted with old headstones, some illegible and in disrepair, but some easy to read even after all of the years in the forest.
Marker in the Cabe Cemetery.
Friday I led an 8-mile hike that combined the Company Mill and part of the Sycamore Trail in Umstead State Park.
MUT intersection with the Company Mill Trail.
I only carried 5 lbs extra on this hike, and went for speed – rain was forecast to start again at noon, and some of us had meetings to get to as well.
We ended up going about 4 mph!
Saturday the weather was pretty good all day, but I was waiting for some contractors at my house (which is another story!) so I had to settle for kickboxing and weights in my home gym.
Sunday I had posted an 8-10 mile hike, but it was forecast for 95% chance of cold rain (about 40 degrees) and 15-20mph gusting winds for the whole hike.
That really didn’t sound like much fun.
So I rescheduled the hike for next week, and spent a good long time hiking uphill indoors on my treadmill wearing 10lbs extra in a pack.
I hiked 3 miles with 1500ft elev gain in 45 mins, then another 2 miles in 35 mins descending 2162 ft. I’ll be ready for Mt Olympus in no time! 🙂
Next week, the weather forecast is much more normal.
Whatever that means around here…. But, no matter what, we know that:
Are you ready????
TAKEAWAY LESSON: The weather can have a big impact on your workout plans! Have a bad weather workout plan, check trail conditions before you head out, and don’t be afraid to wait for better conditions!
I hope you’ve found my Training Log ramblings to be helpful- or at least amusing! 🙂 To see more of them go to my Training Log.
– – Training Week 8 started Saturday with a 45 minute yoga flow session.
I also tried out a short hike in the afternoon at Falls Lake with That Man and the puppy, but my leg started hurting after about 2 miles. (Heavy sigh.)
Don’t get me wrong, it’s fine.
But I REALLY want to stop being so, well, lame. Literally.
Sunday, anticipating that I would NOT be ready for my already-posted 9.3 mile hike on the Mountains to Sea Trail along the Eno River, I got one of my regular hikers to take over and lead the hike for me.
All reports are he did very well 🙂
Trailhead at the Pump Station Trail
And I did more bleeping yoga. And 45 minutes of *very mild* treadmilling in my home gym.
I was feeling lucky, so I didn’t wear any ankle support, but I also didn’t add any extra weight to my pack.
I also thought about bringing hiking poles – which I almost never use.
In fact, the last time I carried hiking poles, was years ago hiking in Italy with a group – where they “strongly encouraged” everyone to rent poles. (Mine never left my pack.)
I was encouraged to use hiking poles in Italy.
I forgot to bring my poles on Monday, but did end up finding a sturdy hiking stick along the way, which helped support the bad ankle crossing streams and rock scrambling.
Hiking into Duke Forest
I did okay, and we had fun exploring! When I returned home, I snarfed some ibuprofen and applied a bag of frozen veggies to the ankle.
Part of my adventure for the past few weeks is that my asthma meds have run out, because my prescription order for new ones have gone missing from the Port of Los Angeles. (Read story from CBS here.)
That means my challenge lately has been to try to stay in shape and at the same time avoid triggering massive asthma attacks or further injuring my leg.
So, I’m just focusing on what I CAN do – and planning for new hikes when I’m on the trail in earnest again. 🙂
That Man’s REAL girlfriend 🙂
Tuesday, I broke out the Pilates!!
AND I also treadmilled a couple of miles, and took another 2-3 mile urban hike with That Man and his (real) girlfriend, Colleen.
Wednesday I was supposed to join Heidi’s hike on another 6 mile section of the MST at Falls Lake, but it was a rainy day and slipping in the mud while nursing an injury seemed like a SPECTACULARLY bad idea.
If it seems like a bad idea….
So I did the stoopid yoga again, PLUS Pilates and took myself on a soft-surface hike in Bond Park for about 4 miles – wearing compression on my ankle AND my knee.
Thursday I did my long-form yoga and took another Infrared sauna session.
Rock scramble at Rock Hollow. There’s a trail there somewhere…
Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that Chromotherapy is included in the Infrared sauna sessions.
Colored light is turned on in addition to the Infrared inside the sauna to complement the treatment.
What is Chromatic Light Therapy?
Chromotherapy is a centuries-old concept that uses the visible spectrum (colors) of electromagnetic radiation to cure diseases, on the premise that each color is associated with a different bodily response.
Color has been used to treat all kinds of medical conditions since ancient times. Color light therapy history dates back to ancient Egypt, India, China, and even as far back as the Mayan culture.
10 Benefits of Color Light Therapy
Color light therapy is attributed with many benefits, ranging from emotional to physical, including:
Reduced Swelling and Inflammation
Pain Relief
Accelerated Healing
Increased Range of Motion
Decreased Muscle Tension
Improved Circulation
Regulated Mood
Improved Sleeping Patterns
Relief of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)
Anti-Aging Benefits
Although thought of as “alternative” medicine, a recent scientific study from the NIH explores Chromotherapy’s history, uses and effectiveness in treating different disorders or illnesses.
In fact, today the medical benefits of color light therapy are being investigated and implemented in major hospitals and medical research centers worldwide.
The other thing I did on Thursday was to go and consult my new friend Joe at B.E.S.T. Physical Therapy in Cary, NC.
I’ll let him introduce himself to you as he did to me:
“Hello –
Joe’s actual face 🙂
My name is Joe Villecco and I’m a physical therapist with B.E.S.T. Physical Therapy in Cary.
As the new year begins, I can’t tell you how many people I talk to about starting new habits and ways that they can do that.
P
For many of my patients, running or traditional gym workouts are just not their cup of tea. I have frequently recommended hiking in the past but with no resource to point them to!
P
Enter, the I’d Rather Walk blog and Meetup! “
(What Joe didn’t tell me until later is that he earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University and has his Bachelors of Science degree in Biology from SUNY Oneonta, where he also became an ACE Certified Personal Trainer.)
Joe at B.E.S.T. Physical Therapy in Cary
I took the opportunity to visit Joe at his office, and talk to him about my leg problems.
I stressed out my leg with too much activity all at once.
He examined my leg and moved it around a bit, gauging pain level etc. – and assured me that it was NOT a stress fracture in a leg bone. (Yayy!!)
He did say that it was probably a stress injury caused from jumping up activity too much all at once.
So anyway, yeah, I know exactly when and why that happened – beautiful weather, lots of fun hikes posted, FOMO.
Joe recommended only bumping up your activity by 10% each week to avoid injury. Now I have to carefully build back up to my previous level.
More About B.E.S.T Physical Therapy
In addition to his other qualifications, Joe is a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopedic Physical Therapy (OCS) and completed his Orthopedic Residency through Evidence In Motion in 2018.
Orthopedic Clinical Specialists are experts in evaluating and treating musculoskeletal conditions – an honor that is held by < 5% of all physical therapists in the United States!
Step One – is to reduce pain and improve function as quickly as possible to return to activity.
Step Two – is complete symptom resolution and working on correcting weaknesses, mobility deficits, movement impairments, etc.
Step Three – is to create a daily at-home plan to attack ongoing weaknesses to reduce the risk of any future injuries or problems.
During a typical visit, they use various hands-on techniques to reduce pain and improve mobility, and then they go on to use individually designed corrective exercises to further improve any weaknesses.
P
The goal at B.E.S.T. Physical Therapy is always to get you back to what you enjoy doing as soon as you can, and Joe truly loves to see his clients leave the clinic more resilient and with a higher quality of life than they had before!
For those of you who might also be interested in seeing if some PT might help you, I’ve invited Joe to come give a short talk and some pre-hike stretches at one of my regular Meetup hikes in March.
Keep your eyes peeled for that notice!
Winter hiking isn’t the most scenic, but it’s still great exercise!
Now, I’m sure all of this stuff about my total lameness is entertaining – but for those of you who are NOT lame, Week 8 training should be kicking your butt!
If you go back to the beginning and look at the 8 Weeks to Awesome plan, by this time:
Your weekly Long Hike should be about 10 miles, and
Your Strength Building hike should include an extra 25-30 lbs in your pack.
Regular weekly maintenance (whatever level you are) should look like this:
(3 days) Strength training workouts,
(2-3 days) 1.5-2 hour moderate endurance hiking or jogging workout, and
(1 day) high intensity workout – like fast hiking or running
Stretch every day
Sample Weekly Workout Schedule
Monday
Strength
Stretch
Tuesday
Endurance
Stretch
Wednesday
Strength
Stretch
Thursday
Endurance
Stretch
Friday
Strength
Stretch
Saturday
Hi Intensity
Stretch
Sunday
Endurance
Stretch
Some people think a daily workout is too much, but it’s okay as long as you vary the intensity – for instance, don’t do two really long, high intensity workouts back to back.
And as I learned (the hard way), don’t go jump up your activity by more than 10% per week!
Hiking with That Man and Colleen.
Friday was the ankle mobility exercises Joe gave me plus more yoga, kickboxing (without the hi-impact parts), upper body weights, and another leisurely 2-3 mile walk with That Man and his furry side-kick in the forest.
And so ends Week 8.
….and I’ll bet you thought this was going to be my last Training Log post! Nope.
Because I’ve been so lame this week, I’m adding a Bonus Week to the training log, including a special event. 🙂
So you’ve got that to look forward to!
Flowers blooming in Duke Forest.
TAKEAWAY LESSON: Training towards a goal should include a rest period just before the event. For any kind of training – ongoing or towards a goal – it’s a good idea to only bump up your activity by 10% each week, or you risk injury.
I hope you’ve found my Training Log ramblings to be helpful in your training process – or at least amusing! 🙂 To see more of them go to my Training Log.
You could also take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Planpost, if you want to see what kind of training I’m doing. It might work for your goals, too.
– – Training Week 7 began with That Man and I taking advantage of the last forecast day of mild, Spring-like weather with our first bike ride of the season.
We biked about 25 miles on some of our favorite local greenways, including the American Tobacco trail.
Some of our local greenways have fun tunnels!
A gorgeous day, and lots of other people were out enjoying it, too.
Biking hits a different set of muscles than hiking, so I was worried I would be sore the next day – but I wasn’t! The training must be working 🙂
Sunday morning it was back to a colder and rainy weather forecast, but I had a big group signed up to hike the 6.5 mile Company Mill trail in Umstead State Park before the rain set in for the rest of the day.
Monday I was planning to just do some kickboxing and weights, when Lenore posted a hike at Umstead so I signed up … but, it was not to be!
Work intervened, and I ended up doing the kickboxing and weights, and also a short urban hike with That Man in the cold sunshine later.
Seriously, this is really us.
Which was probably a good thing to do on Valentine’s Day anyway 🙂
Tuesday we were back to the MST at Falls Lake for a 9.3 mile hike with a small group from the trailhead on Baptist Rd to Little Lick Creek Bridge and back again.
View from the middle of Little Lick Creek Bridge.
A great hike, as always!
That said, my ankle started hurting badly on the last half of the hike, even though I didn’t remember doing anything to it….
I was relieved when the hike was over, so I could go ice it and put my foot up!
Hiking a bridge on the Loblolly Trail in Umstead State Park.
Wednesday was to be my Strength-Building hike for the week, and I had a good crew signed up for a 6-7 mile hike on Loblolly trail in Umstead State Park.
Technically the Loblolly Trail is an out-and-back from the trailhead to the edge of the park, but I add on a portion of the Schenck Forest Loblolly and the Reedy Creek Greenway to create a 6.5mile loop.
Sign at the Loblolly Trailhead
This route is primarily natural trails with a portion of the compacted dirt multi-use trail and paved Reedy Creek trail.
The Loblolly route is not as rocky as the Company Mill Trail, and has less elevation gain, though there are a couple of long uphill climbs.
But even with ankle compression – and a sleeve on my opposite knee that was hurting from compensating for the ankle – it was just too painful to continue more than a mile or two.
Fortunately, I had a group of strong hikers who were familiar with the route, so they were able to continue on without me.
I went straight to the pharmacy to get the strongest ankle brace I could find – and more ibuprofen 😉
Between that and rest in the meantime, I’m determined to be ready for my next posted hike!
Thursday was going to be a kickboxing day, but I opted for some heavy core yoga work and arm weights instead, to keep from stressing my ankle.
I tried an urban walk, just a few miles, on Thursday evening, and found that there hadn’t been much improvement – so I decided to try something different.
Workout tools in my home gym.
Friday after more core yoga, I made an appointment to take a session in an Infrared sauna.
I mainly wanted a sauna to work up a sweat to take the place of the cardio workouts that I can’t do until my ankle is healed.
But, Infrared is very different than a traditional sauna, and I also discovered that the Infrared sauna has a lot more to offer than just a good sweat.
Before we get into the benefits, let me explain exactly what an Infrared sauna is.
The use of sweat bathing or “hot air baths” were a part of Chinese, Native American, and Eastern European culture, and have been used all over the world for centuries.
Traditional Sauna
These traditional saunas use heat or steam to create an atmosphere that will raise your core body temperature by raising the temperature of the air inside the sauna.
The appeal of saunas in general is that they cause your body to react as if you’re exercising, with sweating and an increased heart rate.
Infrared saunas use infrared light to heat your body without changing the air temperature around you.
Infrared saunas are built using three different sauna therapies:
Near IR impacts the surface of the body, namely the skin.
Mid IR affects the muscles, and
Far IR permeates far into the body to reach the organs. (ref)
Infrared Sauna
Benefits of Using an Infrared Sauna
1. DETOXIFICATION
Sauna therapy, especially far IR, is excellent for detox. By using an infrared sauna, you can rid your body of built-up and dangerous mold, chemicals, and heavy metals.
2. CIRCULATION
Mid IR sauna therapy improves circulation and can give muscles a greater degree of flexibility, increased range of motion, decreased stiffness, and less joint pain.
3. REPAIR AND REGENERATE CELLS
Near IR sauna therapy promotes faster cell regeneration and tissue growth, which speeds up the skin’s healing process. By activating heat shock proteins, infrared sauna therapy also repairs cellular damage in the body.
4. LOWER INFLAMMATION
Near IR consists of extremely short wavelengths, which lowers inflammation. The short wavelengths can improve the quality of your skin and diminish the appearance of unwanted blemishes.
5. BOOST IMMUNITY
Near IR sauna therapy increases blood circulation and oxygenation in blood cells, strengthening the immune system, improving cellular health, and aiding in muscle recovery.
6. WEIGHT LOSS
Studies show that a single far IR sauna therapy session can burn up to 600 calories. In cases of patients who must remain sedentary, a sauna could be used as a substitute for traditional exercise.
8. ACTIVATE MITOCHONDRIAL ACTIVITY
There is evidence that heat exposure is very healthy for your energy-producing mitochondria.
The Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a protein in your brain that helps keep your brain young and healthy. Studies show that heat exposure can help boost your levels of this all-important protein in your brain!
In some studies, people who used Infrared saunas experienced an improvement in their asthma symptoms.
Canoe launch, Umstead State Park
Improve Wound Healing and Chronic Disease
Infrared saunas are unique in that they can help to improve wound healing – though you shouldn’t use one with an open wound.
Specifically, research out of NASA has shown that infrared light significantly increases tissue growth and cell regeneration due to our mitochondria readily accepting infrared light (ref).
This increases the cellular activity needed for wound healing.
In the study, wound size decreased by as much as 36%, and cell growth was enhanced by 150-170%.
Infrared sauna can help with healing wounds and scars.
The young woman who helped me at my local spa said that she had scars on her abdomen from several surgeries, and that the Infrared sauna made them heal and disappear very quickly!
Several studies have looked at using infrared saunas and found some evidence of benefit, in the treatment of chronic health problems, too, such as:
high blood pressure,
congestive heart failure,
dementia and Alzheimer’s disease,
headache,
type 2 diabetes and
rheumatoid arthritis
However, larger and more-rigorous studies are needed to confirm these results. On the other hand, no adverse effects have been reported with infrared saunas.
Cost for one 45 minute session at my local salon is around $40, though you can get discount packages.
If you try Infrared Sauna and really like it, you can even get one for your own home at relatively small expense.
Sunny winter day at Falls Lake.
I went for another short urban walk with That Man on Friday evening – around 2-3 miles – and found that there was some improvement in my ankle already!
Was the improvement due to the Infrared sauna treatment? Hard to say, but it probably didn’t hurt.
So, I think I’ll do a few more sessions in the Infrared sauna – at least until the ankle is a lot more healed up.
Who knows, I may see some other improvements as well 🙂
Week 8 is coming up – the last week of the training!!
It might be difficult with my bum ankle, but I’ll find a way. If I can do it, so can you!
TAKEAWAY LESSON: Training towards a goal is a planned process, but you should be able to respond to unplanned events like injury or weather changes without giving up your training entirely. Just keep going – but safely, of course.
I hope you’ve found my Training Log ramblings to be helpful- or at least amusing! 🙂 To see more of them go to my Training Log.
– – Training Week 6 started with a cold Saturday morning 9 mile hike on the MST at Falls Lake.
Cypress tress in the water near Little Lick Creek bridge on the MST.
This hike is one of my favorite sections of the MST, because it’s long enough to know you’ve had a hike, and has some interesting features along the way.
I normally don’t lead hikes on Saturday, but the weather forecast for Sunday was for snow, ice and extreme cold (again), so I switched it up.
Needlessly, as it turns out, because the forecast was completely wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong! Oh, those wacky meteorologists…..
Hiking at the North Carolina Museum of Art park.
So, instead of cowering inside all day Sunday and doing the dreaded housework, I did some kickboxing – and, yes, housework.
Pretending to be sculptures in the Rodin garden.
Then I convinced That Man and the puppy to join me in the afternoon for a nice 4 mile walk at the North Carolina Museum of Art.
Monday, it was forecast to be rainy all day and evening – and it was!!
So it was a treadmill training and weight lifting day.
Tuesday – I was able to join Lenore and other hiker friends at Umstead State Park – and this time I was not thwarted by a slow lumber truck!
We hiked the MUT about 6 miles, and I had a heavy pack, so this was my official Strength Building hike for the week.
View of the old boathouse at Umstead State Park.
THE SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION PART
A couple of weeks ago I got an email out of the blue from Mary Insprucker, host of the “Triangle 411” podcast.
She wanted to know if she could interview me about hiking and the I’d Rather Walk meetup group. How cool is that?
So I said okay, and the interview was just published. Here it is:
Penny’s Bend Nature Preserve is a small 85-acre natural area in northeast Durham that is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers and managed by the NC Botanical Gardens.
Map on the kiosk at Penny’s Bend.
The nature preserve protects a peninsula of land that is surrounded on three sides by the Eno River just upstream of where the river flows into Falls Lake.
Friday was such a gorgeous day, I spent most of the day hiking a new-to-me section of the MST with a wonderful group of hikers led by Rich B from the “Life is a Hike!” meetup.
It was fun, but after completing that hike, my legs hurt and I realized I’d hiked 51 miles during the week!
So, I got off my feet and let That Man pamper me with a nice dinner 🙂
This MST section runs opposite the Rollingview Marina on Falls Lake.
I may have slacked off a bit this week on the kickboxing and weight lifting because the sunny warm weather made me do a lot of hiking and ignore the rest.
That said, there’s still time to focus and get back on track before the 8-week program is over.
Okay, then – time to go work up a sweat somehow.
THE SHAMELESS SALESY PART
In case you haven’t noticed, Valentine’s Day is just a few days away.
– – Training Week 5 started with another snowy, icy Saturday morning – so it was treadmill training for me!
But Sunday the roads were clear – although it was still very cold! – and I went back into the woods with a great group of hikers for 6 miles on the Loblolly Trail in Umstead State Park.
We started a bit later than usual due to the cold, so I had time before we started for some extra yoga 🙂
A thin skim of ice on Big Lake in Umstead State Park.
Monday I attempted to join my friend Lenore for another hike, this time on the other side (Glenwood entrance) of Umstead State Park, to hike the multi-Use Trails.
But I was thwarted by a slow lumber truck that made me late, so I went my own way.
This was a short Strength Building hike for me, so I carried extra weight in my pack and hiked around 6.5 miles.
I decided to check out a trail at Forest Ridge Park.
Tuesday was supposed to be kickboxing, but it was an unusually warm day, and I just had to get outdoors, so I went to check out a new trail – recommended by another hiker – at Forest Ridge Park, and did a short 5 miles on the Shoreline Trail.
It was another trail along the shore of Falls Lake, but this time not part of the Falls Lake Trail or the MST.
Hiking the Shoreline Trail at Forest Ridge Park.
Wednesday I scheduled a long hike (`9 miles) that we hadn’t done in a while, due to weather.
The hike follows the MST along the Eno River from the Old Pump Station ruins to the Old Mill at West Point on the Eno.
There’s been construction along there for a couple of years, and it looks like it’s finally winding down.
Construction is finally winding down at the dam at West Point on the Eno.
Thursday was another long hike at Umstead – 9mi on the Co Mill & Sycamore trails, followed later in the day by another 4 miles on Loblolly and MUT with That Man and puppy.
Second hike of the day at Umstead with Colleen, the prettiest puppy 🙂
Friday it was supposed to rain all day, so I’d planned for kickboxing and indoor work.
Turns out we got hardly any rain at all. Hmmmph.
Nevermind, we’ve made it through 5 weeks so far.
In case you’re feeling proud of yourself (and you should!), I designed some Awesome T-Shirts to commemorate your training:
Wednesday this week was Groundhog Day, and the Rodent says we have 6 more weeks of winter.
Whatever that means around here…. But, no matter what, we know that:
Are you ready????
TAKEAWAY LESSON: The weather can have a big impact on your workout plans! Always check the weather and trail conditions before you head out, and even though the forecast is wrong A LOT, plan as if you believe them 😉
I hope you’ve found my Training Log ramblings to be helpful- or at least amusing! 🙂 To see more of them go to my Training Log.
Or, your goal could be to complete an epic Bucket List hike on a planned (or dreamed of!) trip for the coming year.
If you’re looking for a way to get back into shape before Spring – even if you don’t have a big trip coming – this hike training plan could be just what you need!
Read more to learn how to set up a hike training plan for your own individual goals!
![[42+] Patience Grasshopper](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-na.ssl-images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2FA16aOZsqa6L._SL1500_.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=27d1f4e4f450dca640d2dbd925545ca88638125e3d5cd2b77ab44cc7f01bd3a9&ipo=images)
But in a mid-hike surprise twist, Lenore handed the reins over to Michael.
During a typical visit, they use various hands-on techniques to reduce pain and improve mobility, and then they go on to use individually designed corrective exercises to further improve any weaknesses. 
