Mora is thrilled (as am I) to be back out walking twice a day. Just being basically inactive for a few weeks made me once again appreciate how lucky I am to have two legs that usually take me where I want to go.
When I reached the point where walking was just about impossible, I finally sought some medical advice. Once the X-rays confirmed there were no breaks (from my fall two months ago coming down Pisgah Mountain), the doctor recommended physical therapy. I am amazed by how quickly several minutes a day of the "right" stretches have eliminated my recent pain. My sincere gratitude goes to Pam, from ProHealth Physical Therapy, for knowing exactly what exercises and stretches I needed! Just a few weeks of being the perfect patient (following her instructions to the letter), I am feeling even stronger than I was before the injury!
Mora was surprisingly cooperative during our short period of inactivity (except for lots of Frisbee fetching in our front yard), but is so happy to be back doing what she loves best: running, sniffing, and jumping into any body of water available!
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I was so afraid I'd miss all the beautiful mountain laurel on the trails around here, and was thrilled to find a small patch of them still in bloom two weeks ago when we got back to Rockland for a short walk.
The Field Forest has also been a great place to ease back into walking the trails. It has the advantage of having a few benches and huge logs for Mora to walk on so she can impress me with her newly acquired agility skills!
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Beware!! As lovely as the trails are now that the summer foliage is here, many of them are havens for insects! Make sure you have a very good insect repellant on you before trying either the Rockland area, the Field Forest, or the other parts of the Mattabesset Trail that I've tried out the past two weeks. A few times, even with bug repellant, I've cut a walk short!
One more suggestion: If you are a bit unsure of your steps on trails abounding with rocks and tree roots, invest in a good walking pole! Now, after my last fall, I make sure my new walking pole is a part of my walking/hiking gear.
Bugs aside, it's a beautiful world out there. Mora and I hope to see you out on the trails!
