Days 4 and 5

...passed by relatively smoothly. I was, perhaps, more cantankerous than usual.

It helped that I didn't have to work, so I was out of my normal routine. I also was not around any smokers, nor was I ever alone with my thoughts and cravings.

Both days I went hiking.

First, on July 4, Paul and I went urban hiking (slowly, due to my poor sick self). We strolled up to Alamo Square, where I pointed out the "Full House" Victorian among the "Painted Ladies" with the requisite cityscape backdrop. We then cut over to Buena Vista park, and explored the park and its scenic foliage. We finished our trekking with a jaunt over to Corona Heights and spectacular 360 degree views of the city before returning through Buena Vista and back down to Hayes Valley. We cruised over to a rooftop in the Marina to witness a spectacular fireworks display at Fort Mason, which was only enhanced by the low, misty fog. The fireworks seemed almost more 3-dimensional because of the backlighting on the fog.

The following day we hiked my favorite trail, the Cataract Trail on Mt. Tam. We started from the base, near Alpine Lake, and climbed through Laurel Dell up to the top. We had lunch in a California Bay Laurel grove on the ridgeline near the Mountain Theatre, passing an awesome scarp of green serpentine along the way. We looked down over a thick blanket of fog instead of the city, and watched tendrils slowly creeping towards us on Mt. Tam. We finished the hike through redwoods and waterfalls and fern just in time to escape the fog and chase the sun back to the city.

I feel really solid. I'm still a bit sick, but I recovered much faster and my lungs feel great. I didn't have any really powerful cravings over the weekend.

This week will be the true test. I'll be back in my routine, working and such. Hopefully I can take the strength I built up over the weekend with me.