Walk to Rivendell - Mile 37

[liralen]

It feels so good to just be able to lope for a good half hour at a stretch and not feel thrashed afterwards, breathing was easy, the knee is finally not troubling me all that much, and all that even with a pretty good-sized hill in the midst of the walk.

The knee still aches in this spring thunderstorms, but that's to be expected.

I found a stream today, clear, bright, and talkative. It appeared suddenly, with the spring rains, amid a sere plain with dry, crunchy growth from last year. Everything was brown but for the pale, new green of the grass growing by the chattering brook. It was nice to run by, too, as the ground was relatively even by the stream itself, and the constant talk of life was comforting after the cold, darkness of the past winter. There were even a few, jewel-colored mallards swimming and bathing in the run off.

I walked the last half a mile with John, just talking about the day's events, and we swam a while, afterwards, with Jet. I don't count the swimming hole times, as they're just good relaxation after the hike of the day, and it's a lot of fun just chasing Jet around the place, as he has so much fun in the water.