first hike

Saturday JP and I went for our first hike in Fort Collins. The trails in the area are plentiful, so we were eager to get out there and enjoy the scenery. We decided on a fairly short hike for our first one, the "staple" hike of Fort Collins, Horsetooth Mountain. We packed some food, sunscreen, mosquito spray, plenty to drink and we were on our way. We also decided to take the dogs along...we had researched the trail so we knew they were welcome. :) We hit the trail a little before 10 am, as there were afternoon thunderstorms in the forecast so we wanted to make sure we were done by then. The view driving to the trail was beautiful, so we knew we were in for a great view from the top of the peak. It took us about 3 hours up and back, a 5 mile hike with about a 1400 ft elevation gain. You could see all of Fort Collins, and on a clear day theysay you can see all the way to Nebraska and south to Pikes Peak. It was so much fun, and the dogs did great. Maddie, our black lab mix, is tireless and she lead the way throughout the entire hike. Sam did great as well, but she hung back with me as I huffed and puffed and took a few breaks to catch my breath on the way up the mountain. JP reached the summit while I hung back with the dogs, it was just too steep and while they probably could've made it up, I was worried they'd slide on the way back down. A couple that was more experienced with the trail said they thought that was probably a good idea as it was very rocky and might hurt their pads. JP also said I wouldn't have liked the summit as it was a bit "iffy" even for him. I'm not afraid of heights, but when climbing mountains I'm the type that if I'm thinking about falling I know I might do something stupid and actually fall. So...I was fine with not reaching the summit, the view from where I was was great anyway! Hopefully we'll have pictures for you soon. After the hike I was completely exhausted, by the time we got home I was ready for a nap and slept for a few hours! Must be the altitude again!!

My other good news is that I have a job interview!!!! I'm very excited, I've applied for about 5-6 jobs since I've been back from WI and have just been waiting for the phone to ring...and today it did! It's doing therapy at one of the local hospital's mental health outpatient clinics. So we'll see, wish me luck!!! Hopefully something will work out soon, I'm eager to get back to doing therapy again!