We have a fantastic hike right outside the neighborhood. In 2007, they opened a new road that heads straight up a mountain at a 9% grade for 1 mile, non-stop. If you want to get an idea of what its like, most treadmills use a percent scale for incline and go up to 10%. Set it at 9 and give it a good long walk. You'll wonder if you're on a stairmaster

Pack Mule
I packed my 35 lb son, our two 18 lb schnauzers and a bunch of gear into a wide stroller and pushed my way up the hill with my wife beside me. It was awesome. My heart rate hovered around 155-160 the entire time going up, and didn't drop below 122 going down. According to my watch, I burned about 1250 calories! Woo hoo! We went 1 mile up, and 1 mile down the other side... let our son play in a park for half an hour, then made the return trip.

I'm sorry to report that my foods today were erratic and filled with junk -- but at least I 'cheated' on a day when I could afford it.