And the Washington Park Arboretum. I was given the green light to use my foot again in early December. After three months of healing. A loooong three months. I immediately texted Karann asking to set up some dates to get outside and use my foot. The only stipulation was it had to be relatively flat. My podiatrist suggested I start walking on flat surfaces, and then work my way up to running on flat surfaces before hiking upwards. The concern was if I started everything back up at the same time—and if my foot started hurting again—that I wouldn’t be able to distinguish if it was from walking/running or hiking. Flat it was. Not really a hike but a hike by definition.
We’ve been in Washington almost 15 years, and I had never been to the Washington Park Arboretum. It was always on my list and yet I never found the time to check it off. Until late December. I suggested it to Karann when we were debating where to meet. She suggested we meet at the UW and walk across Foster and Marsh Islands, making our way to the Arboretum. I was sold.
It was a beautiful day. And my foot did great. We walked a total of 8.8 miles, from the UW campus across the Montlake Bridge, down along the Lake Washington Ship Canal, through Marsh and Foster Island, under the 520 bridge, through the Arboretum, through the Madison Park neighborhood, ending at Madison Park North Beach… before turing around and trekking back the same way.
There isn’t much to note really. It was fairly quiet and the most people we passed were in the Arboretum, but not nearly the amount I would expect on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Karann said it was likely because of football, that people were home watching games. Most were wearing masks. Probably 90% of those we passed, including us of course. I notice that is a huge point of contention on trail reports these days. On the WTA website. Any hike I find that I add to my list, I check the recent trail reports. They all seem to point out what the mask usage is on the trail. Fair enough I suppose. I’m super pro-mask, indoors 100%. I’m even double-masking indoors these days. And on the trail and outdoors, I wear one. But I pull it down when far enough away from others; and I pull it up as I’m approaching others. Unless those I’m approaching aren’t wearing masks, then I don’t bother pulling mine up. That’s become my outdoor mask standard.
It felt really great to get out and about, back in business with my foot. This was the longest I had walked since given the green light. Karann and I have more outings on the calendar. I’m super anxious to get back to hiking.
Jumping Raccoons 