We arrived at Franz Josef which is a very small cute town. As soon as we arrived, it was time to go out for a recovery run - 5 miles. I love recovery run days! This time, Steve joined me. First time running for him in 6 weeks and he did great. After our run we had dinner and went to bed. We had a big day ahead of us.
The next morning, I woke up and I had to do my 9 mile run. Running has been very enjoyable here because the scenery is incredible. You're running at the foothills of snow capped mountains all around you. Temps are in the 50s so it's ideal. Cool temperatures generally make all runners into beasts. It just makes any distance seem effortless no matter how fast you are going. We all know I like to have my Pump Up Nancy pep talks in my head when I run. As I was running up this long windy hill at a much faster pace than I would ever run at home, I said to myself, "THAT'S IT. YOU NEED TO ENTER RACES IN ALASKA. YOU WOULD WIN EVERY SINGLE ONE." That little boost helped me sprint the last 5 miles. As I was wrapping up the last 5 miles, I heard a familiar pair of footsteps. These footsteps have passed me in races and judging by the shadow on the right, I knew it was Steve joining me for the final leg. He said he wanted to do a recovery run to break up the lactic acid from the day before. Once again, he's running great and feeling great. It's nice to have my running buddy back!!
After our run, we took a helicopter up to the Franz Josef Glacier. Glacier hiking has been on my bucket list. OMG. This was an incredible experience. We heard great things about Franz Josef from our world traveling friend Amy, but to actually see a glacier in person and to hike it was really cool. Steve and I were the biggest dorks. Every few minutes we would look at each other and say, "THIS IS SO AWESOME!!!" We couldn't get enough. They gave us the proper clamps to put under our boots so that we can hike all over the mounds of ice without falling. After the glacier hike, we relaxed in the hot springs and talked about our adventurous day.
Obviously I love Steve for many reasons. The neat thing about traveling with Steve or any of my friends is that you see all sides of that person during your travels.
Asian Steve - I swear Steve should take on my last name. I thought I took a lot of pictures. Steve is me times 20. Just picture this on top of the glacier - Steve has a video camera AND camera as he is hiking and climbing ice. (P.S. Popp and Small Fry --- thank you so much for the Go Pro Video camera....we love it!). He took more pics than the 5 Asians in our group. Even before we jumped on the helicopter, the guide had to go over standard safety procedures. Steve probably took 5 pics of the No Smoking sign and Seatbelt sign. The 5 Asians next to us started pointing at Steve and they started taking pics of the signs. They must have thought they were missing out on a gem of a photo.
Ranger Steve - Steve loves everything associated with the outdoors. He loves nature, animals, rocks, seriously everything. He is always pointing out things that strike him. For example, during our run, I'm thinking about how much of a bad ass I am and Steve is pointing out trees and leaves and saying, "Did you see that leaf on the ground? We don't have trees like that back at home. Very neat stuff." Then when we were hiking up the glacier, he calls me over and says, "You have to check this out." So I walk over to him and he points out this leaf that is embedded in the ice. He starts wondering how long this leaf has been there and then thinks about how fast this glacier is moving. I'm just looking around the glacier, taking pictures and eating my gummy bears. Another example is when we stopped to take pictures of the beaches on our drive down. I just want to take a quick pic of the sunset and then head back to the car so that we are making good time towards our next stop. Steve is wandering around picking up rocks and running over to me to show his new rock collection. It is like a kid in a candy store. He is telling me about the smoothness and shapes of the rocks and why it is so interesting. How can I rush him out of there when he is THIS happy???
Caretaker Steve - I've always had the mentality of I am Woman Hear Me Roar. Being single for most of my life has made me independent. Being with Steve these last 3 years has been nice because he always takes good care of me. Most people would find these simple things to be a given for any husband or boyfriend but nonetheless, I really appreciate them. For example, when we had to put our clamps on our boots, Steve took care of mine first before he put his on. We all know I would've screwed it up. Or when we are moving our luggage from one place to another, he always makes sure he has this covered so I don't have to do anything (even though I would be happy to help). He also makes sure I am fully equipped with everything I need when I run or hike. He makes sure I have enough layers and tells me when I need an extra layer or a jacket. His layer suggestions may conflict with my color coordinated outfit but I listen to him because I know he is right. It's better to be warm on top of a glacier than stylish. I think. I know I'm always in good hands with Steve. I'm still my independent self but it's nice to have him always thinking ahead so that we're not in harm's way.
No comments:
Post a Comment