Mt. Siiiiiigggghhhhhhhh
So the big test was this weekend. Mt. Si, 2 hours or less, with a pretty full pack. For those of you not familiar with Mt. Si it is one of the most popular hikes in the Seattle area. And is fairly challenging (~4 miles and ~4000 ft of climbing). Roughly 1000 feet up for every mile, however the actual profile is more like a couple of miles with a slope and some level spots and then wham! up you go towards the top!! When I was thinking about taking the climbing class this hike had me the most worried. The fastest I had ever gotten up that thing was just slightly over 2 hours and I was carrying a day pack with snacks and some water .... not extra clothes, lunch, snacks, harness, biners, some rope .... although the pack wasn't as heavy as this summer in the Enchantments it was heavier than the last time I went up Si (roughly about this time last year ...)
I have been training for this - taking the stairs at work (15 floors up! 2-3 times a day!) and felt like I was in better shape than last summer. But I'll be honest, after doing stairs with my pack a couple of weeks ago I was scared. That nearly wrecked me! (Of course the fact that that night I also rode Mariposa all the way to Georgetown and back may have also contributed to my soreness for a few days!) Note to self - RECOVERY!!!
When we started Saturday morning I felt good. I had everything I needed to take good care of myself on the climb and had only one goal really - don't be last. I started in the middle of the pack and had a pretty good pace going but realized even that was a little too fast for me so I slowed down a little and had more water and a few goo packets. And low and behold guess what started happening after that little break ... the "turtle" started passing people. Pretty soon I was leap frogging with a small group and eventually I passed them and they didn't catch up to me until the very end where I let them pass because I had the beginnings of a little blister. Several people I passed I never saw again until they came in after me. I did it! I made it up in under the time limit but more importantly to my confidence - I WASN'T LAST! For the first time I wasn't last :) and I didn't feel completely beaten down when I got to the top either.
Now I turn my sights to the next challenge .... Mt. Erie :) Yay climbing!!!!!
I have been training for this - taking the stairs at work (15 floors up! 2-3 times a day!) and felt like I was in better shape than last summer. But I'll be honest, after doing stairs with my pack a couple of weeks ago I was scared. That nearly wrecked me! (Of course the fact that that night I also rode Mariposa all the way to Georgetown and back may have also contributed to my soreness for a few days!) Note to self - RECOVERY!!!
When we started Saturday morning I felt good. I had everything I needed to take good care of myself on the climb and had only one goal really - don't be last. I started in the middle of the pack and had a pretty good pace going but realized even that was a little too fast for me so I slowed down a little and had more water and a few goo packets. And low and behold guess what started happening after that little break ... the "turtle" started passing people. Pretty soon I was leap frogging with a small group and eventually I passed them and they didn't catch up to me until the very end where I let them pass because I had the beginnings of a little blister. Several people I passed I never saw again until they came in after me. I did it! I made it up in under the time limit but more importantly to my confidence - I WASN'T LAST! For the first time I wasn't last :) and I didn't feel completely beaten down when I got to the top either.
Now I turn my sights to the next challenge .... Mt. Erie :) Yay climbing!!!!!