Discouraging Hike

I tried a hike this weekend. Hubby is getting ready to climb Mt Baker, so he and I drove down (a few hours) to check it out and hike the Heliotrope Ridge Trail. Let me preface this by saying I should NEVER agree to a hike without checking out the specs first, because hubby can hike anything. I swear he could gain 100 lbs, sit on the sofa for a year and pop up and hike up Mt Rainier if he felt like it.This comes from a childhood of backpacking, it's as if he learned from a young age how to get into a rhythm of hiking/stepping and breathing so he can efficiently go uphill.

I, on the other hand, grew up doing sprinty sort of sports. Primarily sprinting to be exact- we were a track family. This means if we had to sprint to save our lives, he'd get eaten by the bear. However, if the bear was a distance runner of any sort, I'm screwed.

I was ready, though- I had no idea the trail was rated 'Difficult', and I had my Zune, my water bottle belt (I hate carrying a pack so hubby carries a day pack and I wear a fanny pack or water belt) and my hiking boots and layered socks. We headed out and the bridge was washed out- so you have to go across some logs. Not nearly as scary as I expected. But as we got across and scrambled up the other side, I realized "hey, we're at a high altitude and I'm not getting much air".

We hiked about 30 minutes total, including our bridge scramble. Hubby was WAY ahead, and I was honestly wondering if my heart would explode or maybe I'd trip over a root and die first. I was willing to accept either, so long as I didn't have to wait too long.

That didn't happen. I didn't die, even though I was ready. What did happen was that sweet hubby recognized that I was not going to be able to make it. He was really sweet about it but I felt like a big-fat-loser. I hated it. We turned around and went back to the trail head, I was fueled by my embarrassment and frustration.

But we had a long talk- our family vacation is just 4 weeks away to Mt St Helens, where we had hoped to climb the mountain and do Ape Caves. We both committed to extra healthy eating to get some pounds off fast and also to really kick up our workouts. I think for me, I may choose Ape Caves and let hubby and son charge up Mt St Helens, it's considered very strenuous and takes 8 hours. Even in peak condition I'm not sure that sounds fun at all!

So it was discouraging, this practice hike, to see that I am not in the shape I was and should be but hopefully I can keep that failure to fuel my eating and workouts as I continue to improve.

With the regular bridge washed out, this log is the way you get across.