The best hike so far

Last week, as you will recall, I hiked up to Mount Verde for the fourth time. Today, I did a hike I've never had the pleasure of doing... I hiked around the bottom of Mount Verde. It was probably my favorite hike since I've been here. It was incredible. First, it is the rainy season, so there are some green patches on the island. The beginning of the hike included a walk through a grass hillside. It was so pretty. You'll see here the typical photos of the landscape, but today's photos include some greenery!

There are a few "typical" events that occur on just about every hike. First, I get great scenic views of the surrounding landscape. Okay, these look similar, but they are each differnt and show a different part of the island. Click on them and they get bigger and prettier. It was just a great day for pictures, I couldn't resist.

Second, I typically encounter at least one or two dogs.

Third, we have breakfast. Last night I baked brownies, so those were today's hit. Last week it was peanut butter cookies. I love to bake and cook, and lucky for everyone around me, I love to share what I cook.

Fourth, there are rocks, lots and lots of rocks. So, you will see here the various interesting rocks.

Fifth, after hiking through mountainous terrain, about 70% of our hikes lead to the ocean. Since I live on an island that is only about 15 miles wide, it's pretty easy to get to the ocean. Today was no different.

Sixth, I tend to get at least one shot of myself at the top of whatever it is we hike. I think it gives me a sense of accomplishment when I look back on the photos.

Seventh, there are always multiple abandonded buildings. This time there were some really cool old houses on the way down to the beach.

Eighth, I have to get shots of where we are headed and where we came from, providing perspective to the hike and showing my dear readers just how far we hiked. Today's hike took us about 6 hours! It was a long hike, but well worth it. In the first picture, you'll see the riverbed that led up back up from the beach area. In the second, you'll see Mount Verde, where we were last weekend. Today, we were looking up at it at the beginning and end of the hike.

Nineth, I am a sucker for photos of cool, different things, especially structures that you just don't see on a regular basis in town. I also love the artistic shots of trees and such.

Tenth and finally, I like to have a story to tell. This week, my story is about my former roommate Elizabeth. She coordinated a major beach clean-up project, which I think I may have mentioned here. Anyway, this was two weeks ago, and after the project they put up signs on the beaches that they cleaned to remind people to keep the beaches clean. Below is the sign from the project. It was so great to see the signs out. I wish she had been with us today, but she was on vacation in Fogo, so I'll be sure to tell her how proud I am of her when she returns. It was great to see part of her work left behind for others to see. The beaches did look cleaner than ever!