4/7/07 8 miles
I have, for the past 10 or so years, avoided with all possible strength hiking Mt Si. I've gone up Little Si, Mt Teneriffe, Green Mtn and Rattlesnake Mtn. But to Mt Si, I gave a resounding NO. Why is that? Because everyone has done her. I referred to Si as the town ho - everyone has been on top of her so why should I? But in our quest to climb Mt St Helens in May, I made the ultimate sacrifice. I suggested climbing Mt Si.
Mt Si is used by climbers as an early season training hike. 4 miles of up followed by 4 miles of down can take it toll on you leg muscle and is considered prime hiking for conditioning your legs and lungs for larger more intensive climbs. It is not unheard of for climbers who have their hopes set on the summit of Mt Rainier or Denali in the summer, to be blasting up Mt Si in April. But there are also the casual hikers, those wanting a nice view at lunch and have heard Mt Si is a good place for that. And when I say casual hikers, I'm talking about the people who wake up in Seattle on a sunny Saturday and say, "Wow, what a beautiful day. Let's go on a hike." Which isn't to say that's a bad thing, a little spontaneous foray into the natural world is a wonderful thing for the body and soul. But what that creates is a superhighway of hikers. And if you are looking for a bit of solitude, Mt Si and it's superhighway is not where you want to be.
After my solo road trip to the southwest, this superhighway quickly became a irritant. I started grumbling almost immediately about how many people passed us, both going up and coming down. "See?" I would say. "This is why I hate this hike." At one point I even mentioned being afraid of catching some sort of hiking venereal disease. But who was I kidding? I already have the worst kind of hiking venereal disease out there (and whole hardily plan to infect as many people as possible) - Wilderness Obsessionitis. Yep, I am not happy unless I get to pee behind a tree then crawl into my sleeping bag with just the wild critters for neighbors.
In the end, I enjoyed my lunch with a view, worked my calf muscles into a knot, and felt a little more confident to climb Mt St Helens later. I won't search out Mt Si for much more enjoyment than that, but training - she serves her purpose. All I needed to do was get off my pretentious high horse and admit that once in a while something that the rest of the huddled masses enjoys can't be all that bad.
I have, for the past 10 or so years, avoided with all possible strength hiking Mt Si. I've gone up Little Si, Mt Teneriffe, Green Mtn and Rattlesnake Mtn. But to Mt Si, I gave a resounding NO. Why is that? Because everyone has done her. I referred to Si as the town ho - everyone has been on top of her so why should I? But in our quest to climb Mt St Helens in May, I made the ultimate sacrifice. I suggested climbing Mt Si.
Mt Si is used by climbers as an early season training hike. 4 miles of up followed by 4 miles of down can take it toll on you leg muscle and is considered prime hiking for conditioning your legs and lungs for larger more intensive climbs. It is not unheard of for climbers who have their hopes set on the summit of Mt Rainier or Denali in the summer, to be blasting up Mt Si in April. But there are also the casual hikers, those wanting a nice view at lunch and have heard Mt Si is a good place for that. And when I say casual hikers, I'm talking about the people who wake up in Seattle on a sunny Saturday and say, "Wow, what a beautiful day. Let's go on a hike." Which isn't to say that's a bad thing, a little spontaneous foray into the natural world is a wonderful thing for the body and soul. But what that creates is a superhighway of hikers. And if you are looking for a bit of solitude, Mt Si and it's superhighway is not where you want to be.
After my solo road trip to the southwest, this superhighway quickly became a irritant. I started grumbling almost immediately about how many people passed us, both going up and coming down. "See?" I would say. "This is why I hate this hike." At one point I even mentioned being afraid of catching some sort of hiking venereal disease. But who was I kidding? I already have the worst kind of hiking venereal disease out there (and whole hardily plan to infect as many people as possible) - Wilderness Obsessionitis. Yep, I am not happy unless I get to pee behind a tree then crawl into my sleeping bag with just the wild critters for neighbors.
In the end, I enjoyed my lunch with a view, worked my calf muscles into a knot, and felt a little more confident to climb Mt St Helens later. I won't search out Mt Si for much more enjoyment than that, but training - she serves her purpose. All I needed to do was get off my pretentious high horse and admit that once in a while something that the rest of the huddled masses enjoys can't be all that bad.
No comments:
Post a Comment