In other words

How can a 3 mile round trip hike that was flat and mostly on an old railroad trail take 5 hours you ask?  Well I will try to tell you.....First, park the car at the trailhead and gaze upon the beauty and wonder of the best swimming hole ever.  You can imagine other days when the cool water will envelope you and make you shiver in delight....Then walk beside the rushing river and wrestle with the idea of being so powerful!  The give and take, the roar as the powerful water tumbles over boulders and the serene calm of the deep....Butterflies flitter about and land on the ground, making you stop to look at their beautiful wings as they reach up to catch the sun's rays...they are beautiful blue or yellow.....they mimic the colors of the flowers, yellow, purple, pink...and especially pink, with soft petals that you want to caress and make your own...........The day is warm, but there is a gentle breeze that blows upon you, and you thank it from your heart for the stillness, the beauty, for connecting to something from the heart, soul and mind......you gaze at the rushing power that is the river and it makes you tumble to the ground where the rocks, twigs and leaves sting your body and leave reminders of this beautiful, simple hike that turned into a journey of knowing and wonder of more hikes to come......