I did a three mile hike in the mountains called the Boulder Loop. The guide said there was 900 feet of elevation change, and the hike was easy-moderate. Hmmm...do the math...take half the distance of the hike, and the elevation gain computes to 600 feet a mile...not quite as steep as Mt. Pisgah but still over the Old Sloat's 500 feet per mile=steep formula.

So I expected a bit of a slog, and got one, but sometimes an Old Sloat's just gotta get his flippers in gear and go for it! And it wasn't too bad. But at the top I met an English couple from the Cotswolds, at least 10 years older than I, who were cruising along with more ease than yours truly. The English bloke dropped a bit of local knowledge on me. It turns out Princess Di had a place in his 'hood, and he and his fellow villagers knew about Di's affair with the Egyptian bloke well before the world press got wind of it. The things you learn whilst on holiday!

By the way, these are oak leaves near the summit of the hike. I tried to take some shots of the spectacular view unfolding below me, but it was so gray and gloomy that the pics just didn't turn out dramatically.