It was only the two slow old fogeys who showed up for the Friday group hike, me and Scott. Scott said he wasn’t up for a hill climb, so I suggested we try the Naugsol valley walk. The problem is that a lot of our normal paths are flooded during the rainy season, but me, in my infinite wisdom, thought I recalled an elevated trail we could take to avoid the wet spots. Things went south pretty quickly, and we had wet feet from wading through puddles by the time we reached the higher path. And that’s when things started really going wrong. As we marched along the higher road, I recall seeing a path on the left leading to the valley floor, but it seemed too early in the hike head down–I felt sure we could stay on high until we reached the far side of the valley and avoid dealing with the rice paddies. It turns out that wasn’t the case, or at least, if such a trail exists, we couldn’t find it.

So, when we lost the path, our options were to retreat or bushwhack our way forward, hoping to find a new trail to take. That really sucked because this time of year, the grass is high, and the bushes are thick. Even worse, there are stickers, and some of the blades of grass have sharp edges.

Poor Scott was really struggling with some stamina issues yesterday, and they got progressively worse as we extended our hike. At one point, it seemed that he would have to stop and rest every hundred yards or so. I felt bad for him and sorry that I had extended his suffering by getting us lost. Once we eventually made it back down to the valley and onto a dirt road, I went ahead to try and find a trike to carry us back to Barretto. I eventually did get lucky and rode back to pick up Scott. We then crossed over Bridge #4 (the first time either of us had ever done anything other than walk across) to Sawmill Road and the 3K or so ride back to Barretto. It was quite the adventure, but not the good kind. Still, it might have been worse. Shortly after arriving home, a massive thunderstorm poured down rain for an hour. Had we still been struggling to find our way back, it would have been an even more of a nightmare.

Here are some photos of our miserable journey:

All’s well that ends well.

My day wasn’t over yet, though. I still had an SOB to attend. Last night’s performance was at one of the newer bars in town, La Oficina. It was their first time hosting an SOB, and I arrived early to ensure I had a comfortable seat.

And last night’s champions:

As usual, I’m toasted by the show’s finish at 8:00 p.m. It was a good time, though. Oh, there is always a raffle for a set of coupons in which I rarely participate, but last night, I splurged and bought a package for 2000 pesos.

I’m doing the Sunday feeding at Hideaway tonight because I’ve got plans of a different kind tomorrow. Yep, I’m going to hang out with some of Swan’s friends and family at what will be our place in a week. This is a pretty big deal. Let’s hope I pass the test!