Standing at the bottom of the three point mountain, wearing my backpack for the first time outside of the store, I felt as close to a weakling as I am ever likely to feel. The sun seemed near enough to singe my hair. Three miles, its just three miles is all I kept telling myself. And then we began our hike. The trail we were hiking is considered to be somewhat easy but more difficult than walking on a nice groomed trail. We had to do some hiking on scree (an accumulation of loose stones or rocky debris lying on a slope) but we never had to put our hands down to keep our balance.
Up the first steep climb, I had to stop, catch my breath, and begin again. That system was repeated several times throughout the entire hike. And, I had to keep telling myself that Jake has it easier because he is lighter, smaller, bred for herding in mountains, and not carrying a pack. Otherwise, how else would I explain his lightening fast speed up all the climbs?
As we continued our slow climb, I couldn’t help to notice how empty and lifeless the mountain was – there were no birds in the sky (no wait, we saw two for a brief moment), no little creatures roaming in the weeds, no rattlesnakes, no mountain lions, nothing but ants.
The views at the top of the peaks were beautiful. Downtown
I would love to share photos with you, but only Brian and I can revisit those remarkable images in our daydreams. You see, we had my camera and we took a lot of great photos, but we were missing one vital piece – the memory card. We do have this image from another hiker, but keep in mind all the snow was melted when we were hiking, so you need to picture tumble weeds, sage bushes, and lots and lots of dirt, gravel, and stones.
Waiting excitedly until our next adventure (with our memory card).
Becky
