That’s right. Yesterday, I was in the valley of ‘woe is me’, and today, I climbed a mountain. 
We slept in this morning, woke up feeling refreshed but in desperate need of some fresh air. We needed a sweaty hike to reconnect with ourselves and with nature. Something to pull us back in. 
We hiked a 6 mile trail in the Verdugo Mountains. But we made one wrong turn at the beginning and found this! 
We had to turn around and backtrack to find the trailhead. 
Once we got going, it was really nice, but the first 2.5 miles were straight uphill. It was HARD! 
The incline was killer and seemed to drag on and on. But the views definitely made up for it. 
I love seeing LA from up above. It feels so big (especially in traffic), but from up there, it looks so small and quiet. 
But this was just the halfway point…And then the climb continued. And continued. And continued. 
I was SO thankful for the overcast sky today (I’m not a happy camper in the heat). But we came prepared anyways. 
A few times, I really wanted to give up. I jokingly begged Irving to let us turn around before reaching the top. See that tower at the top of that hill? That was the goal. Look how far away (and high) it looks!) We’d already been hiking for an hour by this point too! 
Every time I would think we’re getting closer, it seemed impossible to reach. (I think I’m really out of shape). We got passed by a couple of people. HAHA).
But each time I wanted to quit, I kept thinking that I can’t call my blog post “I ALMOST climbed a mountain!” I had to REALLY climb it! All the way to the top! 
And then finally, we made it. My, how far we’ve come. 
That’s what a 2,689ft elevation climb will give you. Check out this elevation map from my Garmin! Straight up and straight down! 
At the top, someone built a chair. And whoever this person is deserves a hug. I LOVE YOU CHAIR! 
I sat in it for a good ten minutes and took in the view. Felt SO good to get out and do something for myself today. 
We did it babe! And it hurts so good! What a workout! 
I only went as far as that chair, but Irving wanted to actually touch the gate of the tower…. I told him to go for it… 
…But I’m staying riiiiiight here. haha 
Instead of coming back down the mountain the way we came, we kept going on the trail that eventually looped back around. Here’s the map from my Garmin. After lunch, we did walk back to where we started to completely finish the loop. 
At the bottom of the trail, we ate lunch at the Golf Club. 
As soon as we sat down, my Garmin chimed ‘6 miles’. I love nice round milage numbers. 
We were really hungry (it was 2:30p by the time we were done!) I got the BLTA and it was killer! Oh man, hit the spot. 
We relaxed, and watched the birds pick at the crumbs other people’s kids left behind. 
It was a half mile back to the car, so that brings our hike to 6.5 miles total.
On the way back home, we stopped to pick up some groceries for the week. The usual. But how funny is this sign for Ramen Noodles? People did double takes looking at the sign, too funny. The scary thing is, there actually was a point in my life where I may have thought that was an incredible deal. ha!
Tonight, our friends Erika and Timmy came over to have dinner and play some games. (Erika Killed us in Yahtzee!)
Irving made some Chili Cheese Dogs on the grill. They were from Omaha Steak and we really liked them. No better way to kick off summer than with a cookout.
We were supposed to put the chili on the dog like this… 
But I preferred to have my chili on the side. 
I’m always looking for an excuse to eat Ketchup. yes! 
Served with a side of homemade Pasta Salad. Very excited to have leftovers for lunch this week!
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In other news, The 200-Mile Ragnar Relay is in 12 days! I’m slated to do 12.3 miles total, but I’m really hoping to squeak in another mile in there somewhere to count it as a half marathon! After this hike, I feel ready. Let’s do this!
Kelocity.com 