Hiking Through the Sierra Morena

Today was a magnificent day!!! I went with Mari Carmen on a 10 1/2 mile hike through the Sierra Morena. Being a Washington girl born and raised, I sometimes miss my old tomboy self who loved a good physical challenge and liked to get down and dirty. I keep telling Juliana that I am having a good time here but that I always feel like something is missing. Maybe thats it!! Aside from my family,friends and dogs, who of course cannot be replaced...maybe I have discovered something that can make me feel like myself again when I am feeling far removed and not quite right. Maybe I just need a good romp through the woods... maybe to muddy my shoes a little...wear some wet socks...and breath the fresh air.

Also I have been feeling a little gorda since Christmas and also have felt that my life has just gotten too physically easy. I still jog but anyone who knows me knows that I love to workout, hike, play sports, etc. I have been really lacking that feeling of physical exertion but didn't exactly realize what it was that I was missing. And of course its my own fault...its not like they don't have gyms here or don't have trails, etc., but I was just kinda following what the people around me were doing which was to live a more sedentary life. Well, screw that!! I am done. I do not feel good living that kind of lifestyle...I need to feel physically challenged once in awhile damn it!!

What I also loved was the fact that the countryside in Cordoba right now is super-green due to all the rain we've had this year and reminded me of home. I miss the soggy, green, wetlands of western Washington. Like this summer when I would take the kids from Cedarbrook tromping through the woods in Port Hadlock. I would have to help all of them cross a river by stepping on rocks or walking over slippery fallen logs. Minus all the ginormous slugs, I loved that part of the job. But anyways, most of you already know all of that...so on with the story, no?

So, there's a hiking club here in Spain where you only pay like 5€ a month and then can sign up for these different routes in the area and pay a lesser fee. I am not a member so I paid 9€ to go on this route and it was well worth the cost. They provide water, an apple, a good sized sandwich of York ham and cheese and an orange slice soda. We all met at this park, they gave us each a t-shirt with the name of the club and we headed out. It was foggy when we left at 9 am, which I enjoyed but then the fog lifted, which I also enjoyed, and we had ourselves a perfect day.

What I liked most about the route was that it took us through a variety of different terrain. We got to cross many creeks, climb up some steep hills, see some horses and bulls, and take some breaks in some beautiful meadows. What I noticed about the countryside of Spain thus far is that even the dirt seems cleaner. I can't exactly explain except that in Washington you get super dirty and muddy and here even when you touch the ground you really don't get that dirty. Its strange. In certain parts I could see where fairy tales could have been made. Especially when you see a whimsical horse standing by a brook surrounded by tiny wildflowers, something out of the movie Princess Bride almost. And at the bottom of the hike was a little white pueblo where we stopped in true Spanish-style and had a cerveza. Then, when I got home from a long day of hiking I ate a nice hot bowl of lentils like any good daughter of a hippie would do :) Anyways, enough babbling...here are some pics from my hiking adventure. Thanks Mari Carmen for bringing me along.