Camping.

So.  The achilles tendonitis seems to be healing itself nicely.  I only had one little flare up this weekend, and that's just because I hiked to some beautiful water falls in my sandals.  I blame it on the camping brain.  You know, how all the rules become super flexible and how things that seem really important just kinda fade away? I love camping for that very reason.

We went camping this weekend.  First time camping in Oregon.  This is not to say I have not been camping in the past five years.  I have, but never in Oregon.  We went to central Oregon, in the Deschutes National forest. Paulina Lake.  It was beautiful.  It was serene.  It was full of all sorts of recreational activities.  It was cold, and full of mosquitos.  Most importantly it was 6350 feet above sea level. 

Why is this important?  It's important because I am a delicate flower, and my feelings are often bruised.  Especially when it comes to "not being in shape."  You see...Portland has an altitude of approximately 50 feet.  (Whee! We're so high in the sky!) There's lots of lovely oxygen here, and my body is used to it.  It likes it.  It relishes all the oxygen.  It cries out in pain when there isn't as much around me.  Hiking at 6350 feet? I get super winded.  I forget that my body is used to zero altitude, and then spend the majority of the hike bemoaning the fact that I'm uber out of shape.  And then I'm cranky and declare that an obsidian flow is a RIDICULOUS name for a flow that is OBVIOUSLY MOSTLY PUMICE.

But I'm very pleasant about it.

Running and camping are an interesting combination.   Well, at least the kind of camping I do.  The kind where you gloss over the amount of clothes you need while you're packing figuring "hey, it's camping...everyone is dirty" but then only pack one pair of socks for 3 days.  One pair of socks to run in, hike in, sleep in, to wear to prevent mosquitos from sucking all the blood out of your feet.  One pair of pants.  No wash cloth or spit bath materials.  And certainly no fancy schmancy camp shower.
So...you figure maybe you don't need to run.  You're hinking! You're treking in creepy caves, (all the while trying desperately to not think of every horror story ever, or miners).  You don't need to run! Besides...you'd only smell more! And then you'd attract more mosquitos.  And who the hell wants more mosquitos?

So I didn't run, despite bringing my running shoes. Bad bad bad.  But I did have a marvelous time! Yay! And now I'm determined to get in uber shape so I can hike ALL THE MOUNTAINS with out getting winded.  Ha.  Just kidding.