Dash's first hike

Dash is currently sacked out. . . boy is he tired! So, I'm taking this time to share a few photos of his first day. He was pretty excited, and he did really well!

We shared an orange before the hike

Monday's hike is an "assessment" hike. Most of the guests self-determined what hiking ability they might be. I figured I was "Intermediate"—not super fast, but also not new to hiking. So, we went to Chuckwalla today. I had done this hike on my very first day the last time, so I felt like I knew what to expect. Well, we entered the trail from a different point, so it was like I had never been there before!

Riding beside me in the van

Watching out the window as other vans pull away

Checking out the other guests in the van

Here we go!

OK We're on the right trail

Note: The sign says Chuckwalla,

but nearly everyone says Chuck-A-walla. Hmmmmm

Right away there is a bit of a descent 

(which means an ascent at the end of the hike. . .)

Our first big ascent

Enjoying the reward at the top

A better view from the backside

Looks kinda like another famous rock formation in Utah!

My hiking shadow

One of the many spectacular views today

And another. . .

And yet another! Well worth it :)

A nice spot to take a little rest 

on a fencepost on our way back

Sand + uphill = challenging!

Major calorie burn, too

A wild animal we encountered near the end

All in all this was a great hike. 5.9 miles, and my calorie burn for this hike was nearly 1400! We only eat 1200 calories a day, so already I'm on the "losing" side! 

So after being greeted at the van with a nice, cool, wet cloth we head back to the FRidge for breakfast. Here was my schedule for the rest of the day:

Lecture: Emotional eating—All or nothing thinking, and Perfectionism

Pool class

Lunch

Open Gym/Gym class—I did cardio on a recumbant elliptical machine

Circuit Training

Core Work

Pool class

Dinner

Lecture: Using your calories wisely

Total caloric burn for today was over 3100! One pound is 3500 calories, so if I keep this kind of "burn" going, I should be able to lose Biggest Loser kind of weight in my 2 weeks here!!!

Simple. Beautiful. Delicious!

Dash was excited about the pineapple, too 

Yummy frittata!

Yummy. I couldn't eat all of it, though

Very good. I think I was still full from breakfast

because I only ate about half of the salad,

and made myself eat the burrito 

(but I felt full at about half)

By the time dinner rolled around, I was really ready for it

That salmon-burger was HUGE! And, of course, delicious

Very refreshing, and so few calories

Perfect for a hot desert dessert!

Thanks for reading. Goodnight!