Miscelaney

Yesterday I had plans to go hiking. Having just gotten back into propelling myself up the side of a mountain, I was looking forward to a bit of a work out. All things being relative, I didn’t quite realize what a bit was actually going to mean. My hiking buddy decided she wanted a “paincation” for the day and voted for a hike up Mt. Si. I was a little hesitant because just last week I did my first cable trail hike up to the top of Tiger Mountain. Knowing I wasn’t quite Mt. Si ready, I made proverbial circles in the dirt with my big toe for a minute or two, but having lived here for 11 years and never having hiked this outdoor jewel, I decided opportunity was knocking.

On the drive out to North Bend to the trail head, we laughed about our now infamous trip to Nepal. We definitely weren’t Nepal-ready either, but somehow managed to pull off a trek through the southern Annapurnas, to every one’s amazement. Our on-going joke is we like to “train while doing and not before” so I knew down deep I should be able to pull this off, although I really wasn’t feeling like I was bringing 100% to the mountain.

Knowing it was a four+ hour hike, in the back of my mind I knew I should bring an extra water bottle. Trail food for an added energy boost would have been a good idea, too. And, a solid protein-based breakfast would have perhaps been the best idea. But it was hot and I wasn’t that hungry in the morning, and I didn’t want to carry a back pack in the heat. I know, I know, how thick am I?

As we gained 900 feet in the first mile, I knew I was really in for it. The humidity and the constant incline were definitely an ass-kicker. By the third mile marker, I really was thinking “nuh uh“, but when you are that close, how can you possibly stop?  Plus, there was another group suffering alongside us most of the way up, so encouraging words (or each other’s pain) kept us all going. The last .5 mile was the character-revealer, because I was out of water and out of energy, but how could I let down my friend and myself at this point? I couldn’t, so I drug my sweaty, sorry self after her up to the top. The result was well worth it, both for the sense of accomplishment and the views of Snoqualimie Valley.

A few minutes of unparalleled scenic appreciation, back down we went. It felt so good to see EVERY person we passed on the way down (their way up) panting and looking just as miserable as we did. We encouraged people as we jetted by them (as others had done for us), and barreled down the 3100 feet just as fast as we could.

Knowing there was fresh water at the bottom, and a burger following in town, we ignored our aches and pains and clipped along until we finally spied the parking lot. Victory felt good and it was awesome to sprint past people who looked at us suspiciously like “did you really make it all the way?”. Of course we did. And as soon as my knees stop aching, I’m ready to do it again. But this time, I’ll bring two water bottles, some trail food, and some mole skin. Yesterday was indeed a paincation, but sometimes that is what it takes to remind you that if you put mind over matter, you can do nearly anything you want.