Velebit Hiking
I sat for a moment on a stone too small for my butt, but a moment of respite regardless, and breathed a sigh of pride. Stage 4 cancer. twice. Type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes. Borderline cardiac function. Diminished pulmonary function. Beginning fibromyalgia. Beginning arthritis. So. many. freaking. health issues. And yet. I did it. I hiked the top of the cliffs of Tulove Grede, part of the Velebit mountain range. Granted, I didn't hike from all the way at the bottom... but still. It was over 250m/800 ft almost straight up, with loose rocks and barely a path at all. More than 2.5 km to be hiked in less than 2-hours as we had a timed cave entry next. Add to that steep elevation the Bora winds, which flow over the top of the mountains, often reaching hurricane speeds. We clocked the wind at 87 kmh for most of the hike; it absolutely sucked the air right out of my lungs. Paired with that, the fact that the temperatures were way colder than predicted when I packed my...