Heidi was home for an overnight visit before heading off on a trip to Seattle the following morning, and felt she needed a good exercise hike…music to my ears. She, Dakota and I headed for the North Chagrin Reservation and an off-trail trek around the perimeter of the marsh. This would mean multiple trips into the ravines between the ridges that rimmed the marsh which would provide the extra effort she was looking to get. It would also give us the chance to scour the woods for antlers, unusual tree formations and bark (she photographs the stuff and gets people to buy it) and whatever else nature threw at us that it wouldn’t on the bridle trails.
We made our way into and out of three ravines before finding ourselves on Snowman’s Ridge, a beautiful overlook with a two hundred foot drop to the marsh below. It was a little dicey to get on the narrow path we needed to be on to continue our hike…a slip could mean a long fall…and Heidi was less than comfortable with the gripping power of her footwear…an old pair of worn down running shoes. I helped her maneuver the spot and we were standing and taking in the orange-red glow of the sunset over the trees rimming the marsh, when a large object in the tree directly in front of us swooped out and down towards the water.
“Heidi…eagles!” I stammered as I reached for my camera to try and capture the moment.
I snapped a couple of pictures, but it was too dark and I had nothing but the blur of dark brown feathers with a smudge of white for my efforts. We were treated to some magnificent aerobatics, though. They seemed to fly in choreographed moves over the water, dipping, swerving and flying upside down as they quickly disappeared to the far end of the marsh. I knew they’d likely perch on a tree there to continue the search for food, so I picked up the pace and headed in that direction. They’d reached it in about10 seconds; we’d be there in 15 minutes…and to my disappointment, never did see them again.
“It’s alright, dad. I saw them fly and that was cool…but they’re just birds, you know,” she said with a grin, imitating her mom.
We returned home and I hit the trainer for a 60-minute ride before an excellent Paleo dinner of baked Tuna on a spinach salad and a large smoothie. I’m trying to make up for…and not think about…that wonderful Jet’s Pizza. Maybe I should give it up for Lent…but maybe not.
Hike duration: 75 minutes. Bike duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 80 hiking and 120 for the bike.
Calories burned: 300 hiking, 850 for the bike.
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