Mountains Beyond Mountains

One of my goals for this move was to adopt a slightly more active lifestyle. I didn't really have a choice, seeing as the Seattle area is almost obnoxiously athletic. But I knew that I liked jogging. And for all you Exegy people out there, I worked really hard on lowering my thresholds so that I would actually get out and jog. I had all the exercise clothes from my aunt; I updated my iPod playlists; Mike even bought me those ear buds that don't slip out when you run. So I've been doing that about three times a week, which got hard once school started.

So when another new teacher to Beaver Lake (I'll call her Lauren) asked me if I wanted to go on a hike after school on Friday, I was like, "Yeah! What a great and sporty way to start the weekend!" I did tell her that I'm not an excellent hiker. I'm not exactly super in shape. And she's a cross country coach, so I was already intimidated.

Side note: Poo-Poo Point, while ridiculously named, is a really popular hike. In the parking lot we were able to see at least a dozen para-sailers gliding off the top launching space. I'm not quite ready for that level athleticism, but it was beautiful to watch.

Lauren assured me that hiking Poo-Poo Point is actually really manageable for beginners. "It'll only take about 45 minutes, and the view at the top is pretty amazing."

The hike took two and a half hours. The trail started by going straight up with rocky terrain, and it didn't stop going straight up. I mean, it was a 1700 foot gain in about two miles. After about half an hour, I said to Lauren, "Please tell me that we're at least halfway there!"

"Yeah, I think so. I don't really recognize this part, but I'm sure we're close!" I'm sure we're close. I stopped believing that after the third time she said it. I had to stop pretty often because my legs would decide to go on strike like a Seattle Public School teacher. I felt like I was slowing everything down.

But I did finally get to the top. It was the big expanse of grass that we sat on an enjoyed the view:

I can't get over how amazing it is to see a mountain in my every day life. I'm a little bit obsessed. I thought my enthusiasm for seeing Mt. Rainier was a typical response to the landscape, but Mike, while appreciative of it, isn't quite the crazy fan girl that I am. 

It's not just Mt. Rainier. Yesterday we visited a friend in Granite Falls, about 45 minutes north of us. As we headed up there, the highway opened up to show a great view of Mt. Baker. 

I don't know why I'm so obsessed with seeing mountains. Seeing them feels expansive and sweeping, like The Lord of the Rings. Hopefully I can work up my endurance for hikes, because I'm not getting over these views any time soon.