Weekend Warrior

It isn’t often I wake up sore beyond belief, but that is exactly what happened Monday morning.  As I slowly gained consciousness and welcomed the new day, it quickly dawned on me that I could barely lift my arms.  Every part of my upper body ached, right down to my ribs.  It even hurt to breathe.  I was reminded of muscles I had forgotten existed.  I felt like my body had been through a war, and slightly looked the part, too, with bruises and scratches scattered about my arms and legs.  It wasn’t pretty.  I was a wreck.  Even getting out of bed that morning felt like a monumental task.  The silly thing was, I couldn’t blame my sorry state on anyone but myself.  I did this to myself.  Yup - all of this was a result of my determination to be a weekend warrior. 

As you may have guessed, our brief visit to Joshua Tree involved a little more than toasting s’mores over the campfire.  Sure, we sat around the fire at night, but during the day, we did more than just take in the beautiful scenery… we tackled it.  And that’s when the real fun began.  Yes – it’s nice to commune under the stars, but there is something immensely satisfying about being outdoors and pushing one’s own physical limits.  That is exactly what I did.  I’m not going to pretend I’m some amazing climber, because I’m not.  Truthfully, I’m a pretty poor climber.  But, that minor detail doesn’t matter.  I still enjoy attacking a good route now and again, and Joshua Tree is the best place to do that.  So, I let my climber friends lead the way and coddle me to the top.  It was still amazing.

And, as if climbing wasn’t enough of a physical challenge for the weekend, we packed up camp on Sunday morning, making our way back to Cali, to the San Gabriels, for an afternoon of canyoneering.  (For those of you unfamiliar with canyoneering, it’s a sport involving hiking, rappelling, a lot of down-climbing, and some swimming.)  It had been more than a year since I had done a canyon, so I was incredibly excited for this addition to our weekend lineup of activities.  Thankfully, Rubio Canyon did not disappoint.  The start of the hike was a little pedestrian, as it was a well-used, high-traffic trail, but as soon as we descended into the canyon, I knew we were in for an afternoon of fun.  With lush greenery and a rushing stream, the scenery alone was worth the trip.  Then came the rappels, each in conjunction with a waterfall.  Calling it a wet afternoon would be an understatement; we were soaked!  But we still shrieked with delight as the icy water pummeled us.  It was the most fun I had had in a very long time.

As the week has progressed, my soreness has diminished.  But, I have to admit; I kind of enjoyed the pain.  It was a badge of honor, a reminder of a weekend well spent.  Now that I’m back to normal, I’m ready to hit the trails and do it all over again.