Friday, November 14, 2008

I did Dog Mountain

Wow. 3.8 miles up, then 3.1 miles down. I've been on plenty hikes before, but none where the first steps out of the car are up, and continue up for the next 3.8 miles. I was up at 6 a.m., picked-up at 7 a.m., at the trailhead at 8:30 a.m. and back to the car by 12:30 p.m. What an incredible hike! Ironically, my dog stayed home and guarded the side-yard. He's not so good with long hikes where he can get cold and wet, or near shear cliffs.

I was with a great group of seasoned hikers. They all had hats, gloves, camel bags and BIG sandwiches. I had Adidas shoes, cute cargo shorts, a t-shirt, brown leather belt and fashionable backpack -- South Beach Diet snack bar and a small bottle of water. lol

We stopped twice during the climb. I took some pictures & posted them below. Between the lower body workout last night, and the hike today, I am fairly certain I won't be able to move tomorrow. It's worth it -- the climb, the burn, the hard breathing, sweating, burning hot, freezing cold and then the quick descent.

It's not a hike I could have done a year ago, at least not easy. 23 lbs. lighter, 6 lbs. of muscle heavier, 4.5% less body fat and far more endurance, engery and stamina.

Here's a link to the trail map:http://www.imacnw.org/maps/dogmountain05_b.jpg

No comments: