I exercise more because of my dog!

So that 18 mile hike on Sunday? Challenging! I could walk 18 miles in a day and be sore - but add in uneven mountain terrain, a little bit of rock scrambling/climbing and I am FREAKING EXHAUSTED. That's why there was no post yesterday, I used all my energies for life stuff and then crashed, haha.

The hike was awesome - we had some really amazing views and it didn't rain on us at all (even though the forecast was not so good!). Koda was super happy all day. That was the best thing of all - because September 22 was the day that we took him to our apartment after discovering that my dad had passed. So it really marks the anniversary of when we took over his care.

What a difference a year makes!

We did some math and realized that in the past year, he has walked on average three miles a day, with at least half of the weekends having a super high mileage day because of hiking. We added it roughly up and estimate he has walked over 1300 miles! That's pretty awesome for him - his first two years of life, we assume he didn't walk more than 200 miles total.

It was the best way to celebrate such a sad anniversary. To realize how far we've all come.

Last year: we were crazy, exhausted, depressed, stressed, etc. The dog was desperate for exercise, training, rules, stability. The house was dusty and un-updated for 30 years. We could have quickly spiraled into a bad situation.

This year: as an example - last night, we sat on the couch in our newly painted and decorated, bright and fresh living room, tired from a super long hike in our favorite place on earth, watching a TV show on the couch with the dog sleeping ON us, twitching in his dreams, and the cat napping on the corner of the couch.

:)

We are ALL very well exercised because of this dog! And that translates into healthy, happy, calmer people (and dog).

I wouldn't have walked as much this year if Koda didn't need it. I would have hidden in my bed the first half of the year, pretending it didn't all happen. Instead, rain or snow, I took that dog out for a walk EVERY day, no matter what.

Chris wouldn't have hiked as much if Koda didn't need it. He would have been at home, trying to soothe me from my grief. But the best help to me was to get Koda tired and exercised! So they hiked 19 High Peaks (and several other random mountains in NY) this year. Pretty impressive :D

This weekend, though tough, was definitely a celebration for me - a celebration of getting Koda, of seeing how far we ALL had come as a family. Having Koda definitely kept us awake and present this year, because he needed us. There was no other choice. We couldn't hide in the sadness.

He saved us as much as we saved him.

I'm still sore this morning, but better, not as stiff. Weighing in at 122.5 (I had a lot of indulgences this past weekend - it was a tough weekend emotionally and though I didn't binge eat, I definitely ate and drank socially!).

Here are some pictures from the hike, before I sign off for the morning:

Koda climbed a 20 foot ladder!

Off to run some errands, and surprise-surprise!, take Koda out for a walk :D

Have a beautiful day!