Feet Friday: A Top The South Sister

These feet belong to Snickerdoodle and her auntie Jennifer (my little sis). They are taking a vista moment atop a cascade peak of 10,300ish feet high.

Last summer five of us ascended the South Sister in Central Oregon. The hike was in commemoration of Fairborn Guy and I’s hike 26 years earlier. I was 19 years old…he was 26.

26 years later I put my mind to summiting that ole mountain….and summit her I did. Of the five of us (B, Jennifer, Snickerdoodle, Tim and I), I was the first to summit. It was not that I was a better hiker, only that I knew if I did not keep going full speed ahead I would never ever make it. I was soooooo excited waiting for my climbing chums to meet up with me. I was also very proud. Snickerdoodle was early in the climb convinced she would never make it. Jennifer had hiked this trail a few weeks prior and decided to turn back. B was born with resistances to heights…let’s just call it fear ok? And Mr. Fairborn Guy…or is it Mr. lets not ever exercise guy?, had not trained.

After a sufficient time atop the peak, viewing the astounding scenery, resting and documenting the event in photos, we headed back down the trail. My chums all decided to go first, to get a head start on me.

“What?...... Why are my knees not working?” I asked as I took my first few steps down the incline. The hike up took 8 hours; we figured it would be about 2.5 hours back down. Maybe had my knees working. Every single step down that return 5 mile trail I writhed in pain. I basically teetered down the mountain looking like the poster child for the March of Dimes. It took me 4 hours…4 hours of constant horrible pain. My chums thought I was faking…how could such a maverick ascend-er now look like an invalid? They had no compassion what so ever.



Here's to my two mountain summits....may they inspire me to climb metaphoric mountains always but leave the actual mountains to others!