I spent a day hiking with a local hiking group. We woke early in the morning and traveled 3 hours northeast of Taipei and hiked an historical trail what was one of the most beautiful and ass-kicking hikes I've ever done. It took over 4 hours to hike and there was a wonderful sense of accomplishment waiting at the end. We had some good laughs along the way especially when it just never seemed to end and we were faced with the choice to laugh or, well, not laugh. The people in the hiking group wear bright orange as their "team uniform." They were so happy to have us join them for the day. And I must say that I was quite humbled by the women in their 60's who seemed to be in better shape than I am. The hike didn't leave me without some very sore hip-flexors and butt cheeks for a couple days. I'm already looking forward to the next adventure.
The hike is over. Hard to believe we were up on those peaks in the far far distance. Valarie is from Canada and Erika is from Taiwan and one of my roommates. What an AWESOME DAY!!!
