Sore, sore muscles

Well, I'm back from camping with the kids this past week. I got back yesterday and apparantly just in time because it is pouring rain today.

You may wonder why it is 3:19pm right now and I am at home....well, this is because my body is sore...as in really sore. The muscles in my legs ache and my back is stiff and I could barely get out of bed this morning so I decided not to go into work. I feel like an old lady. Why am I feeling such pain? Well it is because on Wednesday we (as in myself and Lisa - who is alomost 7 months pregnant by the way - and a parent helper and 14 kids in Grades 2 - 5 and our two guides) all went on a full-day hike up Mt. Gardner on Bowen Island. Steven, the other teacher in our group wasn't feeling well so he stayed behind. Now when Steven and I were planning activities for the kids to do on Bowen Island and we planned the full-day hike I think that we both under the impression that it would be about 2 hours up and maybe 2 hours down.

Our hike was double that time - no joke. It took us 5 hours to get to the summit and about 3 hours to get down. We got back to the camp just before it started to get dark which was a relief because walking in the forest in the dark with a bunch of kids would definitely not be good. The hike was hard but I have to admit that the kids were in really, really good spirits the whole time! SEriously! They were amazing. And Lisa, well she made it up and down fine too - I guess when you are on your 6th child you are more gutsy and strong or something. I made it up and down fine as well, but man.....yesterday I was a little sore and today, my body is killing me. I haven't been hiking for awhile and then to go on one that is 8 hours straight - well, my muscles are tres, tres sore.

Lisa and i decided that next year it we are doing two hours up and then two hours down and that's it. In hindsight, we both realized that we probably should have turned back earlier but neither of us thought of it at the time. I have to owe it to my trusty nike hikers that I've had for 8 years, even though I got a couple of blisters they didn't let me down.

Other than the difficult hike, camp went well. The kids had a blast. Sleeping in the open door cabins was ok too. The kids were warm enough, which is the most important part. I made sure the girls were bundled up with toques and socks and mittens and fleeces over their pjs and blankets in their sleeping bags etc. as I tucked them in. I was fairly warm enough the first night but I was really cold the second night. It was chilly. Each night I had to walk down to the bathrooms with one of the girls and it was so chilly getting out of bed. It reminded me of my brownie camp days - I was always so cold in those tents because we didn't have really good sleeping bags (we couldn't really afford good ones) etc. The last night though the girls and I slept indoors in a part of the main communal cabin. This was a relief because after the whole day hike we all needed a good rest.

So I'm glad to be home and to have this time to rest. It is a little tiring to be "on" 24 hours a day for four days straight.

I don't really have much else to say right now so I'm going to go. By the way, anyone have any remedies for relieving sore muscles?