"Use it or lose it"

I didn’t so I did.

As foreseen, awoke to a gloriously sunny day here in the mountains, light breeze, temperatures hovering around 20°C (68°F).

Although it took awhile for me to get out, weather and the ankle combined to make a hike possible (o.k. it can hardly qualify for a “hike” – after five weeks of very sporadic and mostly flat surfaces due to the ankle – that just sounds better than walk, or, as my brother would probably qualify it – a leisurely stroll).

I was pleased that I could go straight up the mountain path without stopping for a whole 15 minutes, but boy it sure doesn’t compare to just a few years ago when I would hike straight up for two hours – and an altitude climb of approx. 2’000 feet – then take the cable car back down.

Still it’s a start: I find that one thing has greatly improved with the years – I no longer stress if I don’t do so many minutes/miles per day. If I stop due to a cold, a sprained ankle, too much to do, that I can get back to it and build slowly up to the same level (if not speed and distance).

It’s a pleasure – and enough - just to be able to be on my own two feet, walking where fluffy white clouds drape themselves over the mountains and where the woods are green, the streams lively and the wooden chalets starting to fly their Swiss flags in honor of the upcoming National Holiday August 1^st.