Played Hooky! (and how my body thanks me for being out of shape)

We (my sisters and I) played hooky Wednesday to climb a mountain... Nothing major - but we chose a difficult trail and when all was said and done it was a 13 mile round trip. Mount Greylock is the highest peak in Massachusetts at 3,400 ft, and hosts a section of the Appalachian Trail which we were lucky to hike.

 It took about 3 hours to get up - which included a side excursion to a pathetic waterfall (I'm sure it's great in the spring). I enjoyed the random hut in the woods and was pleasantly surprised by the monument at the top. We were all drenched in sweat for much of the day; and sections were challenging to me with frequent stops to catch my breath. We reached the top a little after noon enjoyed a snack and a look around then headed down. It was painful on the toes navigating the steep rocky sections. The last 2 miles to the car we hiked in silence, exhausted and ready to be done.
At dinner I did not let the 36,000+ steps on my Fitbit trick me into over eating. I chose a salad and few onion rings. I drank half ginger ale mixed with soda water and ate a small ice cream cone for desert... I admit I was a little shocked to see that my small cone cost me 15 points!!! It was totally worth it - such an awesome day!

But now I'm paying for being so out of shape. My post-hike butt is killing me!! Sitting for stretches or walking down stairs is tortuous!
I'm dreading the 6 hour round trip tomorrow morning to pick up the teen from camp...All that sitting!  I'm definitely going to need to schedule a massage! I also need to get back to strength training and hit that dreaded stair master at the gym... It kills me, but judging from how high my heart rate was climbing, I need it.

Of course climbing with the extra 40+ lbs might have something to do with being out of breath, and having achy knees!

PS - Cornbread or any seeded whole grain baked good is just yummy to me. I think it's a texture thing... Thankfully it's out of my system - Focused on better things!!