We’re still working on getting back in condition. Today, we wanted to increase the distance and elevation climbed while, not getting too wet and muddy, and not driving too far. We settled on hiking the complete Silver Trail at Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Area.

The Silver Trail shares some of its route with the Yellow Trail. It includes a challenging loop that climbs a 250-300 ft. hill. The hill includes some 1:3 grades which are covered with slippery, loose, gravel. This is just the sort of surface which is best hiked with hiking poles which help keep you steady and avoid falls.

Because we are still out of condition, we need to stop to catch our breath almost every fifty feet we climb. This is most embarrassing when someone younger and fitter whizzes past us, managing the entire climb without stopping.

We succeeded in going further and doing more climbing. We hiked 3 miles and climbed (and descended) 850 ft. We averaged 1.2 miles an hour; which is typical for us, as we stop often. On this hike it was recovery time rather than ‘stop and admire the scenery’ time!