I really didn’t feel like going. Truth be told, I whined to myself on the 40 minute drive up to the top entrance to Wunderlich Park on Highway 35, though driving there was much easier than running up. I knew because I had done that before. 

On the topo map the Skyline Trail looked gently undulating, a great recovery terrain after last weekend’s monster tough Big Bear Trail 1/2 Marathon. Regardless, I was dreading hills of any kind. 

Chased along the highway by a pair of frantic mountain bikers in a truck desperate to get on their bikes, I pulled off and parked. My Nathan pack was ready.  Partly tensed against the run, I got out of the car, crossed the road and started down the path. At the first turn, I saw something so crazy beautiful that it stopped me in my tracks. 

It was stunningly beautiful and a photo can only get so close. Later, when I got home, I tried some edits to convey more of the feeling of being in the place.

The first 2 miles were awful and I didn’t warm up until about mile 8 of a 10 mile run. Despite that, seeing these 2 scenes and making these 2 images made every bit of it worthwhile. That’s not to say you should always do something when you don’t feel like it. If you do, once in awhile, you may be surprised by joy.