Day 3 - Wednesday

Here it is - the dreaded 'stop sign' of 'Stop Sign Hike' The mountain in the background is 600 ft tall. You are at an elevation of 4,200 ft. During the last mile you climb 1,200 ft. or TWO of those mountains. The total hike is 4 miles each way. I made it to Stop Sign in 1 hour 27 minutes:)

Pat, one of the guides took my pic at 'the' Stop Sign'.

This is Mini Stop Sign or as our van named it 'Deception Sign' You hit this about half way and it is no where near the real thing!!!

Beautiful scenery along the way!

This was on the way down the mountain.
Gathering in the dining room at 6:15 to fill our Camelbak water backpacks and learn about the hiking terrian. The guides are along the back wall. There are 28 to 30 of them with 7 van loads of us. They keep us safe and doctor our feet:)

This is starting out on the trail. Pretty flat down at the bottom. This trail was all asphalt and all about endurance. The other trails are sandstone rocks, sand (ugh!) and lava.

So here's the part most of you have been waiting on - the food pics!!!! Breakfast was fresh fruit and a cheese, spinach, egg white, and homemade turkey sausage mcmuffin.
We always get soup for lunch. Never would have done it at home, but it's very filling. This one is french onion.
This Greek food rocks and you know I'm a snob when it comes to Greek! Pesto salad with a Greek Pita stuffed with tomatoes, mushrooms, red onions, spinach, turkey, and feta cheese.
Ha! I am so hungry by dinner I usually forget to take the pic. So this is what's left of the Israeli couscous, baked salmon, and brocoili. Sooooo good!!!

And oh my gosh let's not forget these! Dark Choc. Strawberries. Yes they are better than I had heard. I will fix you some when I get home;)

Wednesday, Wall Day, Hell Day... It has many names, but for me it was a day of discovery. Was I sore? Heck yes!!! Did I cry? Of course. Kick boxing with Sharon makes last chance workout with Jillian look like sharing an ice cream cone! But I made it to the top of stop sign hike. Woo Hoo! Many people hike it multiple times and never make it to the top. I did the Mountain class (one I was particularly afraid of). You get on a treadmill, bike, or eliptical and start out at a moderate speed then increase your incline every three minutes 8 times!!! The trainers are yelling encouragement and pushing you hard and the music is pumping. By the time you are ready for the cool down you feel as if you will fall off the back of your jacked up treadmill. I had to hang on to the top of it LOL! Kick boxing, a first for me + Sharon = well, pain!!! I told her before class, "You know what I hate about your classes? The fact that they are always last in the day and I can't give it 100%." This chick is intimadating. She's at least a foot taller than me and looks like a brunette Barbie. You get the idea she could squash a dozen or so ninjas in a dark alley without breaking a sweat. And she likes to see you in pain:) I LOVE HER! All the trainers are awesome here, they really cater to what's going on with your body. And they push you hard then praise you often. We also learned about addictions today and emotional eating. I have figured out I suffer from neither of these - Whew! Thanks life coaches! We did learn how to fix these problems so I hope to help out others with the knowledge I now have. I also have met some amazingly wonderful people. Guys, this isn't a fat camp. There are all ages, all sizes, people who have never worked out, iron men, runners, fitness buffs. I love the diversity. I try to eat with different people each meal so I can get to know everyone. So how did Wednesday end? With a deep tissue massage of course. First time ever to have a male give me a massage. Don't worry Steve, you are still me favorite, and no he wasn't hot;) But he sure could put the moves on you. Hope each of you has a wonderful rest of the week! A big shout out to my girls that are working it hard in Zumba and walking without me. I'M PROUD OF YOU! Keep it up:)