Do Me a Favor and TAKE A HIKE...

Today started the first day of our new "life". We decided yesterday that we were too fat for our own good...and not with a "ph". Quarantine had gotten the better of us. In the beginning, we were doing project after project in our yard and created our own little oasis. The best part being that we did it all ourselves. Once we finished with those projects, we fell into a lull. A typical day was wake up, have breakfast, binge a show on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon, or watch movie after movie...our go-to being LMN, but to make it exciting we would mix in some Netflix, Hulu or Amazon movies. Of course, while doing this, we would have lunch and many many snacks. Ending the day, with dinner, maybe an after dinner snack and another movie...then off to bed. Only to repeat the cycle the next day. ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH. Yesterday we created our "Fat Ass Spreadsheet" to keep track of our daily routine:

Morning Weigh-In

Vitamins

Breakfast

AM Walk

Lunch

Dinner

PM Walk

Extra Stuff - and this is where the hike story begins...

Today was Day 1. We got up early and had some breakfast with coffee on the deck while the pups were running around like lunatics in the yard. It was a beautiful morning and that's when the lightbulb went off...LET'S GO FOR A HIKE TODAY instead of just our AM Walk. Clearly, we like to go balls to the wall when we start something new. We decided to pack up a bag with sandwiches, waters and of course our medicines (inhalers, nose drops, wipes, sanitizing spray, etc) because we are like 90 year old ladies now. By 9:30 we were on the road and we were like a kids on Christmas morning...so excited to see what was in store. Little did I know that I would be practically crying in less than 2 hours. Finally, we arrived and the we were ready to begin...

Someone's Super Excited!

As we started off, I felt like "this is going to be great" while I pictured what we would look like in 3 months after following our new routine. Deep breaths in, deep breaths out, which I was actually able to do today - Praise Be. Truly, we were enjoying nature and the beautiful air of the day...Blessed Be The Fruit.

First we came across a little something historical, which being the nerd I am, was excited for:

Love Stuff Like This

We continued on our way, taking pictures as we went, until we got to the sign waterfall...and that's when it went downhill (well technically, uphill, but for me downhill faster than the a rock in water). Take a look at some of the cool things we spotted until we saw that deadly waterfall sign...

At the waterfall sign, we went off the main trail and started following the rocky path. This is when Nicole turned to me and said, "If I see a snake, I'm out!". We continued up, and up and up. Walking along the running water was seriously cathartic. It's not just the sound of the water trickling through the rocks, but also knowing that soon enough you'll see that waterfall! This is when I almost just laid down and gave up. I went into a panic thinking: "OMG! What if I have an asthma attack? What if I fall? What if I twist an ankle?" I keep saying I because Nicole was still keeping a steady pace because she is literally a real life Wonder Woman. Every once in a while, she would turn around and give her reassurance that everything is going to be OK. Nicole stood with me for a little as I was having my issues...she is literally the cutest thing ever. FINALLY, we reached the waterfall and it was beautiful. We walked out on the rocks, dipped into the water and took a nice little break. I thought the worst was over. Then Nicole said, "OK, so now we have to continue up to the top and then it will level out. From there, it will be all downhill." This is when I almost started to cry.

As we continued on, families with 2 or 3 kids were behind us and I just thought to myself, "Jesus,Cara, get it together!" Just as the tears were about to stream down, Nicole turned around and said, "Babe, it's OK. I know you can do it!" Once I heard that, there was no stopping us. Nicole led the way to continue to the top all the while stopping to continue taking pictures. At just about 2 miles, we reached the top! We took a little water break to regroup, knowing that the rest of this was going to be a piece of cake, which we both could've used at that point. As we continued on, taking in nature and finding little trails off the main path, we decided that we wanted to sit by the pond and just enjoy the tranquility. Also, because we were starving and sweating like pigs. We had some lunch (the best Roast Beef and Swiss Cheese wrap we've ever had in our lives) and rested a little. We finished up and started our trek towards the finish line. This is when Nicole became determined to get us down to the banks of the Ramapo River so we could touch the water because she knows how much I love fresh, running water. She also understands my weird obsession with having to touch it when I'm near it. Unfortunately, every cut-out we attempted down was already taken by other hikers or fishermen. Damn them! Next time, we will get down to the river!

Finally, we made it back to the car and had another water break. Before we knew it, we were on the way home. This might not have been a trek along the Appalachian Trail or a hike up the Teton Mountains, but for us...this was our Mount Everest. It was the beginning of a new adventure and the start of something exciting to look forward to each week. Nicole and I love adventures and never thought that hiking could be one of them. We've done road trips, bar crawls, libation challenges and many other vacations, but this is a first for us...and it was worth it. This must've been exactly how Matthew Henson felt at the top of the world. And you can feel it too!

So do us a favor....and TAKE A HIKE.