Winter Beanie and Jacket-Kind-Of-Cold (An Afternoon in Wood Canyon)

Saturday, February 25, I got in a 7.12 mile out-and-back run in Wood Canyon (in Aliso Viejo, CA). Even though I got a late start (about 2:30PM), it was cold out – winter beanie and jacket-kind-of-cold, like it was winter (A winter in California! Why I never!  Can you imagine? ). Despite the so-called cold (probably about 50 degrees Fahrenheit), I’m still not running in pants (just capris, which are a little warmer than shorts or a skirt).

This run seems like ages ago now (though it’s only been two-ish days). I don’t recall much, which means I zoned out most of the run. I can tell you that it didn’t rain, and that I had my jacket tied around my waist by about mile one, and my beanie tucked into my pack at probably mile two. I recall that the skies were dreary, but the grass was green as ever and the yellow flowers were in mighty bloom. I saw a good amount of people – runners, bikers and hikers. But most of the time I was alone.

Alone. One of the reasons I love trails so much. Even when you go with someone else, you can still be alone.

Anyway, back to my not so eventful story . . . I listened to music, for sure. It’s a rarity that I hit the trails without music. I don’t listen the entire time, but much of the time, especially if it’s a route that I’ve travelled before. And I’ve travelled Wood Canyon many times before. At times, I grow so dang tired of the same old trails that I can’t even stomach travelling them again. The same old trails though, is better than no trails. And really the truth is, (and I know this deep down, but refuse to face it, because I’d rather sometimes do nothing) if I stay creative and alert, I can always find something new about the same old thing. Something new like this – look at what the rains have dug into Wood Canyon:

I do recall that the trip back was the loneliest. And that does not mean the worst, or bad in anyway. Lonely is good, as I think I’ve already mentioned. But with the gray skies and drippy weather, I couldn’t help but think of Hansel and Gretel as I wandered on through that last parts of Wood Canyon, through the woody areas like this: