Always new on the same old trail

I know the point of this blog is to try out new trails, but most of the time I find myself on Teapot Hill. The trees look different every time, even though I should know this hill like the back of my hand. I love hiking in the mist. It's like being in a cloud. Everything looks different. Is there ever a place that you can see anytime you close your eyes?

I know I shouldn't hike alone, but there were plenty of people on Teapot Sunday afternoon and it didn't even rain. As I started up the trail, I noticed a woman behind me and thought that she was one of the regulars. She always hikes alone. She caught up and passed me, moving very fast. From the amount of grey in her ponytail, I guessed she must be about my age. She was faster than Betsy, who kills me every time. I tried to keep up to her and found myself doing the kind of breathing I do when I'm hiking with Betsy. Both of us passed groups of younger people, which is not at all unusual. I tried to keep the woman in sight, but lost her half-way up the hill. When I got to the top, she was starting down. There's no way to know how long she stayed at the top, but she was definitely faster than me.
The question is: why don't I get any faster? I seem to have reached my maximum. Why is Betsy always faster than me? Is it inevitably downhill on the downhill side of the hill?

So many trails, so little time

Why so many trails? Because that's the defining experience of my life from way back when I as a toddler harassed my Gram to walk further. "Walkies," I demanded. She would have been in her early 70s then and it was probably good for her.
Trails are a metaphor for so much in life. Which path should we take? The road less traveled upon. It's the journey that counts, not the destination, going out into the wild to find oneself. Into the woods to trade the magic beans and make one's fortune, to battle the witch and lift the curse.
Trails are an intrinsic part of where I find myself, living in Chilliwack, which is rich in trails, and of which I have only traveled a small portion. There's so much more to explore and so little time around work and groceries and cooking and cleaning. I tend to hike the same trails over and over. My go-to hike is Teapot hill in Cultus Lake provincial park because it's close and can be accomplished in an hour, it's steep enough to get a workout, and it's stunningly beautiful. I walk on the Vedder River on my lunch breaks because it's 10 minutes from my office. I hike Mount Thom because it's close to home and if I don't have time, I can just do half of it and still get a good workout and some nice views. The view from the top of Mount Thom looks out over Chilliwack all the way from Cultus Lake to the Fraser River. I hike on trails around my home like the Bridlewood trail and Salmon Ridge trail when I just need to take my dog for a quick walk and need some trees. I've never hiked Mount Cheam--probably the iconic Chilliwack hike.
There are so many more. The area around Chilliwack, Cultus Lake, Ryder Lake and Harrison Hot Springs are full of hiking trails. I would love to hike the West Coast Trail and my hiking buddy and I have talked about doing that. It will have to be soon. For now, we have agreed to challenge ourselves and try some different trails around here, as long as they're not covered in snow. I'm open to suggestions.
If I could, I would hike every day.