~ Me on the summit of Tiger Mountain ~
"This is for fat couch potatoes everywhere!" I proclaimed.
They said we couldn't do it; said without the protection of drawn shades we would be blinded by the sun, our virgin skin scorched... said we'd be overcome by internet, bon-bon, cable television, and Netflix withdrawls... Well I'm here to tell them they are wrong! If I can do it, anyone can. (Really, just about anyone not confined to a wheelchair. But then even some of them could probably do it.)
All joking aside, this was a meaningful feat for me, the former little fat kid always coming in last in the gym class mile run. Anyone who knows my fitness level, laziness level, and physical and cardiovascular endurance knows what a big deal this is for me. For those who don't know me that well, let me put it this way; my 80 year old grandmother is in better shape than I, and that is not an exaggeration. She still works full time, people, 2nd shift at a factory and she works a heck of a lot harder than I do pressing little buttons on a keyboard all day. Shout out to Gramma, love you! Maybe one day you'll learn how to use a computer so you go on the internet and read this. Nah.
Anyway, getting back on track... for some insane reason I woke up one recent day and decided I was going to hike to the top of Tiger Mountain. I set out to do it yesterday, Sunday 10/19, and I was absolutely determined to make it to the top. It was 3 miles to the top with a 2,000 foot gain in elevation. Every God-foresaken inch of that trail was at an incline and quite steep at times. It was almost as tough mentally as it was physically (almost) but I refused to be discouraged and refused to give up. I was going to make it to the top even if it meant I needed to be airlifted down afterward, and at times I felt as though I might! Children as young as 5 and 6 passed me by, so did parents carrying infants. Some people were even jogging uphill past me, but still I pressed on. An elderly couple in their seventies passed me, ok that really sucked, but I kept going. Then some of the same people that had passed me earlier were making their way down while I was still climbing up, and that REALLY sucked. But the people I met were really nice and some even offered encouragement with "You're almost there, not much farther" and "The view is beautiful. you'll get nice pictures up there." That seemed to help. The last mile was the steepest and most difficult, of course. But I made it, and relished my victory on top briefly before heading back down.
View from the top
The birds up top were acclimated to people and ate right out of my hand. And though I know you're not supposed to feed them, I couldn't help it because it was pretty darn cool.
The hike down was much faster but I was still pretty slow because my whole body was aching. On the way down I crossed paths with others heading up, and then they passed by me again on their way down. Going downhill is not that much more enjoyable than going uphill and I was never happier to see level land when I reached the parking lot. I would have gotten down to kiss it but I was too tired and sore. On the way home, I stopped to get some food (after nothing but 2 granola bars and water I was ready for a hot meal). I ate it while driving home but I can't say I really chewed it, I mostly swallowed the bites nearly whole. You know you've had a good workout when you are too tired to chew!
So that was my big hike. All-in-all it took me a total of 6 hours to hike just under 7 miles. (Remember 3 miles are uphill people!) Today my calves are screaming but it was worth it. Here are some photos from the day.
On the way to the mountain I stopped and took some photos
Below: The Olson Mansion. This 10,000 square foot mansion, built in 1907 by Norwegian immigrant Olaf Olson, sits atop 63 acres of scenic countryside in Maple Valley, Washington
Zoomed in below
I pass this mansion a lot but have never been inside. Some day...
The rest of the pictures are from the Tiger Mountain State Forest.
Me, blissfully naive in believing I am half-way to the top. The sign on the right says I have 1.6 miles to go, but it is a lying dirty liar! 20 minutes later I reached another sign that said I had 1.9 miles to go and unfortunately, that was the honest sign.
This little squirrel was hopping from branch to branch and tree to tree following me and squeaking/chirping at me the whole way. When I would stop and look at him his squawking intensified so I thought maybe he was begging for food. I threw a few crumbs but he kept on yipping at me. Perhaps he was shooing me away from his nest. Strange little fellow wouldn't stay still long enough for me to get a picture.
Curvy twins.
And a couple more view shots from the top to round it out
Cut and print cuz that's a wrap!
Stay tuned to see what punishment I have in store for myself next weekend.
Flogging and then the rack perhaps :)
