February has been a disappointing month for training.  Two major family illnesses (my sister and my wife’s mother), a personal illness (stomach flu that lasted a number of days) and a busy schedule (helping put on a women’s college golf tournament, etc) have put a severe dent in my training.  But, this morning I got back on track with a nice long hike along local roads.  I took along my new phone (Galaxy S7) to try out the camera, which was supposed to be a substantial upgrade from my old phone, especially in low light.  Here is a picture I took while it was still quite foggy.

And another, as the fog began to lift….

I walked Shortcut road to the intersection at Hwy 78, continued onto Wosnig Road, took a left on Pioneer Road, left on Stagecoach Road, which intersected with FM725 near the base of the big hill.  My GPS ran out of batteries at the top of the hill (8.12 miles when I last looked at it) so I estimate that I walked of minimum of 9.5 miles this morning.  I wore a lighter pair of Wright Socks, and that seemed to help with the discomfort I have been experiencing with toes on both feet.  I have not developed any blisters (Wright Socks guarantees you won’t get any, and I never have while wearing their socks!) but have been experiencing some discomfort with this pair of boots.  It seemed to be better.  I had never walked this route, but enjoyed the animals…..

and got to say hi to my old friend, “Fierce Determination….

All in all, it was a nice walk.  I did encounter a few country dogs that appeared to be somewhat aggressive.  I took note that Peter Frost, in his book “Exploring Cusco” (5th Edition), warns about aggressive dogs in the rural areas of Cusco, so I am going to look into purchasing an effective pepper spray (which might also be a deterrent to the muggers that Frost also warns about!).