Castle Hill

This morning was a bit rushed but I got out the door in time to catch my bus up to Townsville.  It ended up being almost 30 minutes late (go figure) and I arrived around 2:15pm.  There were a lot of clouds along the way but when I arrived it was sunny and warm...probably the best weather I've encountered so far.  I got in and settled, ran to the store and came back ready to get moving.  In my travel book Castle Hill was listed as a popular running/walking site, so I thought I'd give it a try.  I started off well, but soon encountered steep hills as far as my eyes could see.  I kept plugging along until I thought my lungs were going to burst.  What I didn't realize was that I wasn't even at the start of the designated trail yet.  When I finally found it I began to walk because there was loose gravel everywhere and rocks sticking out of the ground at all angles.  The hills continued, along with the added pleasure of stairs.  Making my way up the hill I was reminded of the times I'd climbed Vernal Falls in Yosemite.  I kept looking up and seeing no end in sight.  However, as painful as it was, the view at the top was amazing.  I could see the entire city, the water, and Magnetic Island.  Instead of braving the stairs on the way down I went the long way around on the pavement.  It was a better choice for me I think because I was able to jog down and not worry about my leg giving out on me or rolling an ankle on a loose rock.  Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera with me, so now I'm debating about going back tomorrow.  I think it's going to depend on how I feel when I wake up in the morning; even though I would like to think that I'm in relatively good shape, I have this feeling that I'll wake up with a sore butt and quads.  However, it's doing things like that that make me feel lucky to have had a great ankle surgeon and reinforces my decision to have had my surgery when I did.  I've said it before, but thanks Dr. Hunt!  You're the man  :)