What a busy weekend! Saturday was so lovely. I went with one of my besties and hiker extraordinaire Haley Durrett for my first hike ever up Rattlesnake Ridge. I was very much loking forward to this day for a few reasons. One, I had never hiked before and I have known so many people over the years who have enjoyed being one with nature and among God's creation in that way and found it a great way to excersize and socialize at the same time. Two, I want a new hobby of sorts. Many people have told me the this particular trail is "easy" and "a great first hike." I wouldn't call it "easy." Granted it was no 20 mile hike in Leavenworth(where Haley's dad, Mike was that same day as he is a very experienced mountain man and has all the tools and gear necessary for those expert hikes) but for me it was a great challenge. When Haley came to pick me up she had a coffee for each of us(the great glass frapps you can get at grocery stores, which I love!) gatorade, water and power bars for when we got to the top. I was elated with her thought out planning and kindness in wanting to make it a great experience for me. What an incredible friend I've been blessed with! It took us an hour and a half to get up with one 5 minute break. I must say, I was so proud of myself for doing it. I haven't been to the gym in at least 2 months so I am definitely not in peak mountain climbing condition, so I was a bit worried I would be huffing and puffing and needing to take breaks the whole time. Granted I was huffing anf puffing at times but I kept telling myself, "just get to the top and the hard part will be over." I keeping thinking of the hilarious pun of "its all downhill from there" and for whatever reason thought that I was hilarious because I had never gotten to use said pun.
Our hike was rainy and grey as we looked beyond the trees but the whole time we were hoping that it would clear up by the time we got to the top. I was drenched in a mixture of sweat and rain and my sweatshirt was completely soaked from the mystery combination, which liquid element was more I couldn't say. Hiked all that way for a thick curatin of fog. Couldn't even see 10 ft off of the ledge of the top. For whatever reason, my only thought was, "oh well, now I get to hike it again." This didn't stop us from taking a few pictures to commemorate the success and my first hike. I feel like normally I might be discouraged by such a feat but I ended up having an incredible experience and look forward to it again soon. And I think I'll stick with Rattlesnake Ridge because I don't think I am ready to hike anything with the word "mountain" in it.
Here's to the mountains we all climb
No comments:
Post a Comment