Going for a hike was so unexpected, in fact, that I had only brought along flip-flops and ended up having to borrow sneakers from a girl's sister whose shoe size as at least comparable to my own.
I enjoy hiking--always have--as long as I can go at my own pace. I like to think of myself as "outdoorsy," but this does not necessarily translate to being in tip-top shape. That is, I like being outdoors, I like climbing around on rocks, I like camping, and I like sunlight and trees and wildflowers and lakes and birds. But that doesn't mean I can sprint up a mountainside without a few--okay, frequent--breaks to catch my breath. (I also like to blame the elevation: Vermillion, SD = 1200 feet; Bald Mountain = nearly 12,000 feet. So there.) So yes, steepish, but not grueling. When it comes right down to it, the hike itself was not too difficult. It's about two miles to the top.
We hit only one snag on our way up: Even though it is mid August, one section of the trail on the south face was covered in snow. We had to hike down on skeet-covered slopes with no sure footholds to skirt it. This wasn't too tricky going up. It was still early enough in the day that the slope was dry, if not a bit too rocky, and we were going uphill. On the way down, however, the day was warmer and some of the snow had melted. The path was still blocked, but the dirt was now mud: slippery, grainy, and slightly more treacherous.
But no one died.
One foot in front of the other, and my two friends and I reached the summit in about 90 minutes (breaks included). My motivation for the last stretch of it was to beat the group of teenage boys hiking right behind us. And yes, we made it to the top first. Go us. And the view was spectacular.
Hopefully, I'll go back again some day.
1 comment:
One post in 2011? What about that wedding you went to in Utah? What, does having four jobs, teaching, and being a full-time student take up all your time or something? ;) Oh. Right.
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