But first I walked Maggie around Pheasant Branch (five miles) and did Bodypump at the gym. Call me Cray Cray or just filled with a lot of nervous/anxious energy. Jim is busy doing the thing he wants to do--build a workshop in our third garage bay during his two week vacation. [We miss Katie!] So I said to myself--challenge yourself, go to Devil's Lake climb that scary bluff by yourself, push yourself to walk that East Bluff Trail (up and down) and that West Bluff Trail (up and down) tackle all those granite steps. Eat lunch by the lake. Clear your head. I packed the most marvelous lunch--a ciabatta ham and baby swiss cheese sandwich, baked sour cream and onion chips, a bottle of Go Go Vitamin Water and a gym bottle filled with lime water. All packed into the green ugly backpack that I bought for Becky when she started Kindergarten from JC Penneys (many a good memory with that backpack--haha!).
I started up the rocky trail that literally cuts into the side of the bluff. At one point there are simply a set of steps chiseled out of the granite with nothing to hold onto and one slip, one unbalanced movement and you would literally fall into big chunks of jagged granite. Well I looked at those steps and thought that can't possibly be the way up, that's just plain suicide and if I did fall how would anyone find my bloody body? I looked for the real path and saw nothing else. And I gave up. I started back down...but then I met this young couple from Israel. I told them I lost the path. The women said, "you come with us, we get lost together," and she just started up those steps with not a problem. Well I couldn't say "no." They made it look so easy and at least someone knew where my body was, lest I should fall. Well we three made it to the top. I found out they lived in Israel but were visiting the young man's dad who lives in Plane, WI. I took a picture of them with their camera and they took a picture of me with mine (see above) standing on top of the bluff with the lake below. My two angels!
It was incredibly beautiful--the leaves are starting to change!
It must be non-threatening to come across a hiker by herself because other people just started talking to me. I met a group of young guys from Chicago and I told them about Becky going to college there at Loyola. When one of them said that's where he goes for his Therapeutic (something) I decided to take my leave. I also met an older gentleman who SWIMS in the lake every day. He asked me if I walked the Entire Loop and I said "YES!"
It was a GLORIOUS day and maybe just a little closer to God and Heaven. I'm glad I went.
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