Our good-weather good luck seemed to have run out yesterday. Our 5.5 hour hike at Pleasanton Ridge began with sun, but quickly turned to pouring, driving rain. The kind that stings your bare skin. I had my waterproof jacket and discovered my backpack was at least somewhat water-resistant as the water beaded up on the surface. But it was not pleasant to hike in. The hard rain only lasted for 15-20 minutes tops, but the rest of the hike was an uncomfortable mix of spotty sun, clouds, mist-like rain, dense/wet fog and chilly winds.

The hike itself had rolling ups and downs. The cows were out in full force, as were the cow patties, and the landscape was as green as ever. It’s hard to believe that in just a couple months the very green hillsides we’ve been hiking will be a dried-grass brown. That’s one bonus of hiking during the wet season – everything is lush, cool and colorful. Many of the oaks, which have not yet begun to show leaves, were covered in bright green and blue-green moss.

Because of the rain we trudged on for our hike with a determination I don’t think our group has had since we started this training. Though we ate some trailmix and energy bars as we went, we didn’t stop for lunch, which is normally part of such a long hike. Who wants to stop in the rain? But in the end we walked more miles than anticipated – the coach estimated somewhere around 14 miles. Wow. No wonder my feet hurt today.