Yeah I finally got out to that trail we talked about last month the weather was perfect not too hot just a nice breeze the whole way up we started pretty early so we had the path mostly to ourselves which was great saw a deer about halfway up just standing there watching us made it to the lookout point around noon and the view was completely worth the climb took a ton of pictures though none of them really capture how it looked in person we sat up there for a good hour just eating snacks and taking it all in the way down was tougher on the knees honestly but we took it slow stopped at that little diner on the way back for burgers and shakes anyway just wanted to share because I know you were curious about the trail conditions highly recommend it if you get a chance to go.

Let me know if you guys want to plan a trip out there together sometime the drive is pretty easy and there's plenty of parking at the trailhead we can pack a lunch and make a whole day of it just bring good hiking shoes and plenty of water the elevation gain is steady but doable for most fitness levels I think you would love the overlook at the top.

I finally tried making my own sourdough starter from scratch last week day one it was just flour and water sitting there looking questionable by day four it actually started bubbling up and smelling like real sourdough which was a relief because I thought I had messed it up somehow I used whole wheat flour for the feedings and it seemed to love that baked my first loaf this morning and it turned out way better than expected nice crust and a soft chewy inside my kitchen smells incredible the whole process is surprisingly hands off most of the time it is just waiting I want to try adding some seeds or herbs to the next one let me know if you want me to save you a slice or if you need tips on starting your own starter it is really rewarding once you get past the first few days of uncertainty.

I found this great resource online that breaks down the feeding schedule really simply and it made all the difference the first few days I was worried it was too dry but once I adjusted the hydration it took off like crazy the bubbles were so active and it doubled in size within a few hours I think next weekend I will attempt a cinnamon raisin loaf just for fun.