Burke Lake Park

Boo in her spiffy backpack, taking on Burke Lake

So it's not quite a hike, I know.  Of course, Burke Lake Park is a nice park with a busy little walking trail and it was about all that I managed to accomplish over winter break.  By account of two seemingly unrelated forces, I ended up back at Burke Lake each day, for several days in an row, walking in circles with the lake to my right side and the dog to my left.  First, and this was a less than fortunate happenstance, it seems that Northern Virginia as a whole decided to fall marvelously ill with the flu just as I opened my eyes to my first glorious day off.  The second, and the reason why I did not take this omen as a sign that I ought to spend my break sitting in my bed with the windows tightly sealed to prevent myself from getting this flu, was that I acquired my first fitbit.  Naturally, I had to take the week to walk as many steps as I could in an effort to get so many steps ahead of my bedridden boyfriend that he would never be able to catch up to me.  It didn't hurt that he had bought me an adorable backpack for Boo and I wanted to show her off to the public as often as possible.

And so with that, I took to walking in circles and circles around Burke Lake during the day and overdosing myself with citrus fruits and bizarre anti-viral tea concoctions each evening.  Through all of this, including plenty of visits to take care of Casey (see, I'm an okay girlfriend!), I managed to stay healthy and win myself a large "step lead."  Imagine my surprise when I realized that the steps only tally for seven days at a time.  After three days back in the working world with Casey, now recuperated, running here and there at his very much not-a-desk-job and me sitting at my chair until my neck began to cramp, Casey had solidified his lead.  I gave my comeback a feeble effort.  I tried to park farther away from my building to entice myself to walk more.  That lasted for a day until the polar vortex arrived and sent Blacksburg temperatures plummeting into the single digits and me running for warmth.  I tried pacing in circles around my sofa, but gave up when I realized that the neighbors directly behind my giant windowed wall must think that I was having some sort of psychotic break.  I tried a free "cardio workout to music" on YouTube, but for as fun as it is to dance alone in front of a mirror, I wasn't feeling this.  I've about given up.  Maybe I'll take myself on a hike this weekend.