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 a while, you may be surprised by joy.